The Kids These Days Are Alright
by Yidkirkin of the Warhammer
Summary: It is after Percy leaves the Burrow for good that he realizes something crucial -he has nowhere to go. Penelope is willing to help him out on this front, but how will Percy deal with a new roommate who used to be a delinquent... and is a muggle on top of that? Canon compliant to an extent. This is an abomination of a crossover and it's my baby.
1. Chapter 1

**The Kids These Days Are Alright**

By: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Why am I posting this. Why am I posting this.

Why.

SPOILS GALORE

Vvv

Penelope Clearwater, now employed at the Ministry's Muggle Liaison and Cooperation Office, was glad to finally be home after a long day at work. She loved her job, there was no doubt about that, but sometimes dealing with cautious muggle partners or inquiring families of muggleborns was more stressful than it was worth. That was especially true lately, when said families were standoffish and worried about the fast approaching return of their children, and those same partners felt entitled to speak to someone of a higher rank than they had been assigned. Penelope had to exert every ounce of patience she possessed in order to make it through all the meetings unscathed, and was looking forward to the pot of tea that she had made this morning; enchanted to stay fresh and hot until she needed it upon her return.

Climbing the last few stairs to her apartment had never seemed like it would be a chore when she bought the place, but she knew differently now. She had left her files at the office, but that was her only respite and walking the hallway was going to be just as exhausting. Penelope was just letting out a relieved sigh as she rounded the corner, when she froze mid-step, the last person she had _ever_ expected to see here, sitting morosely against her front door.

"...Hi, Penelope." Percy Weasley greeted weakly, eyes red and face paler than she had ever seen before. Penelope stared, open mouthed, for a few moments before her mind caught up with her body and she was striding over, tiredness forgotten.

"Good lord, Percy, what on Earth _happened_ to you?" Percy's face crumbled a bit as he hiccupped, and Penelope was extremely grateful that the tea was already made for them. "Come on, get up so I can let us in."

Percy shuffled over and stood, wincing every few seconds as if the movements pained him. Penelope waved her wand in her specific way and the door swung open softly, and before she could regret it she found herself ushering her ex-boyfriend inside and onto the couch, not bothering to make him take his shoes off himself and just spelling them away to make it easier. Penelope left Percy in her living room and swept into the kitchen, waving her wand this way and that gracefully, summoning the quilt from her closet and making up a tray for the tea. By the time she was finished and back in the same room as her impromptu guest, Percy had deflated like a botched soufflé and was holding his head in his hands. Penelope, though she knew this man well and had even loved him at some point, was unnerved.

"Here." Percy accepted the offered tea cup (two cream, no sugar) with a grateful smile-grimace and Penelope sat next to him on the couch, carefully making sure she was on the other cushion and not crowding him. "Percy, why are you here? What's wrong?"

Percy let out a sound that tore Penelope's heart in two, something like a cross between a sob and a drowning man's gasp for air. "I – I had a row, with my parents. I c-can't say what it was ab-about, but I can't st-stay there anymore. I came here c-cause you're the only person I could think of – who might let me stay for a few nights."

"God, Percy..." Penelope sniffed. "Of course you can stay for a little while. I wouldn't leave you without a place to sleep." Percy tried to laugh, but it just came out as more sobs. He put down his tea before he spilled it and didn't even notice when Penelope moved closer and hugged him.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, Percy. I know a bloke downstairs, he's a real estate agent and he owes me a favour. I'll help you out, don't you worry." Percy just sobbed louder, not even caring that his glasses were getting fogged up or that he was getting tears on Penelope's sleeve. Penelope really wanted to ask what had led Percy – who loved his family to death, who was always so composed, so positive – to this, what had made him so despairing, without even a home to go back to. But Penelope didn't ask, she just pushed away her exhaustion and sat with her arms around her ex-boyfriend, and tried to figure out whether or not she would be able to take the day off tomorrow to convince Tanner to help her out.

Vvv

"Are you sure you're alright with just this?" Penelope asked awkwardly two days later, handing Tanner two casserole dishes filled with Sheppard's Pie. "This is a pretty big thing I'm asking..."

"Penny, you worry so much. This request is for your friend, yes?" Tanner placed the dishes carefully in his freezer and smiled at the witch. "I would have helped you with just that, but I can never miss an opportunity for your cooking, you know."

Penelope blushed lightly. "Alright... Percy's still asleep, but would you be free in about an hour or so? I can bring him down or you can come up."

Tanner shrugged and grinned easily. "Either would be fine with me. Although I think a chance to see your home is incredibly tempting... but only as long as you are comfortable with it." The real estate agent barked out a laugh. "I could bring up my specialty tea to sweeten the deal?"

Vvv

"You're smitten with this bloke aren't you?" Percy asked dryly, watching Penelope flit around the house nervously, waving her wand about her face and trying to get rid of all the evidence of magic. "I don't have to be here you know, if you want to have tea with him _alone._ "

"Good god, Percy, will you shut up! So what if I like him?" Penelope shot back flippantly, changing the titles on her bookshelf to something more mundane. "Besides, you _have_ to be here because this is for _your_ benefit." Percy's ears turned bright red and he looked away; Penelope sighed exasperatedly. "I would let you stay longer, but I just don't have the room... and it's still awkward for me. Take me out for a drink after this and we'll be even."

"Sure." Percy jumped as the doorbell rang and Penelope sped past to answer it. As she and Tanner spoke by the door, Percy stood up and moved over to the kitchen table, grabbing the tray of tea off the counter as he did so. He was fussing with the edge of his sweater when Penelope and the muggle came in; he quickly dropped the fabric and stood to shake the shorter man's hand.

"Percy Weasley. Thanks so much for this, on such short notice." Percy looked guiltily at his ex-girlfriend as the other man laughed.

"Tanner Veraldi, and it's no problem. You are Penny's friend." Percy's face _must_ have betrayed his surprise at the easy acceptance, but if Tanner noticed, he didn't say anything about it. "Now, let's get started shall we? We have much to talk about." Nodding, Percy sat back down, Tanner on his left and Penelope on Tanner's other side.

The next few minutes were spent outlining what Percy wanted to get out of where he would be living; it didn't take very long because Percy knew that he didn't have many options. He only had so much money saved in the bank and he didn't want to make things more difficult for the muggle that Penelope was enamoured with. So he basically went with only the things he would never budge on; it had to be within walking distance of the Ministry, be relatively cheap and not be in too busy an area. Once those specifics were laid down, Tanner produced a veritable filing cabinet from his briefcase and spent awhile shuffling through it, finally laying a stack of fifteen papers in front of the wizard.

"These best fit what you want. Right now is a good time to be getting into this market you know, you have many options." Tanner showed Percy where to find the asking price on the forms and a few other key areas he should look at, and then reached for the tea pot while Percy was going through the stack. As the muggle started up a quiet conversation with Penelope, Percy eliminated three places based on their monthly rent price, and then another two based on where they were located (farther away than what he had been looking for).

The remaining ten were all acceptable, but he got rid of another three by reasoning that the rooms were just too big for one person. One place, which contained no reference photo, was actually a house, and Percy discarded that too for the same reason. Another bust, upon reviewing the finer print, was a single room in a boarding house for University students, and so Percy was left with five places that all seemed to be fairly reasonable. Tanner must have noticed his indecision on the remaining options, for after a break in the talk he beckoned for Percy to hand him back the papers.

"This one is no good." He said, showing Percy the listing for a two bedroom apartment only 5 minutes from the Ministry telephone booth. "I recognize the building now; it's fallen into disrepair lately and has caused me many headaches. I should get rid of this paper altogether, actually." Tanner pondered that for a minute, but in the end he put the paper with the rest of the discarded listings. "And this one is above a fish monger. Unless you don't mind a constant smell?" Percy shook his head and Tanner handed him the three papers that were left. "Now, why not give me your first pick and I'll keep the others on standby if something goes wrong."

"That sounds alright." Percy said absently, mouth drawn in a contemplative frown. The apartment on Willowby was the best option, in all honesty; it was a ten minute walk from the Ministry, was the smallest of the three locations and was on the first floor of the building. The other two were also alright, but the one on Churchwell was pricier and further away, and the one on Agathe would put him up with a muggle roommate. Percy piled them in order; Willowby, Agathe, and then Churchwell, and handed them back to Tanner, who smiled again and put them all into his briefcase.

"I should have an answer for you within a few days, so just relax until then. Do you have a personal phone?" Percy shook his head and Tanner shrugged. "I will call here then, when would be the best day?"

Tanner left around ten minutes later, happily agreeing to call in three days at the earliest. Once he had gone and Penelope had begun making a few sandwiches for their lunch, Percy resumed his place at the kitchen table and sighed.

"He _sure_ _was_ dreamy-"

"Percy!"

Vvv

When Tanner phoned the Clearwater apartment on Saturday, the only one who was home was Penelope, since Percy's job and hers had different hours. She copied down everything Tanner told her with extra care, hoping that Percy wouldn't react too badly, and then settled down with a cup of tea to wait for her temporary roommate to come back.

An hour later Percy returned, dark shadows under his slightly puffy eyes and that look on his face that Penelope took to mean that he didn't want her to ask about it. She did worry though, whether this side of Percy was caused by the sudden trouble with his family or the stress of his new job, but she was trying to respect his privacy as much as he was with her. His face did brighten when he saw the soup waiting for him on the stove though, so Penelope took the gesture as a success. When they finally got to talking about Tanner's call, Percy surprised her by taking the change of plans with no small amount of grace.

"I knew something like this might happen, so I'm not disappointed." He explained easily. "Besides, my second pick is just as good – I'll just have to work a bit to keep my roommate in the dark."

Tanner, right after talking to Percy had put in an offer each to all three apartments, but Percy's first and third choices had sold to other people almost immediately following the bids. The second listing, the one on Agathe, had waited two days before accepting Percy's bid unconditionally, and the wizard would be able to move in within the week.

"Muggle roommates aren't so bad." Penelope reassured half her attention on one of her meeting request forms. "I had one right after Hogwarts; Denise is the reason I wanted to get into my office you know. Turns out, her younger sibling was accepted to Hogwarts after I moved in with her, and after I helped her to transition she was really accepting of it all. I wish she hadn't had to move to Holland."

"I hope we get along." Percy mumbled, stirring his soup absentmindedly. "I hope he's not nosy."

"Just put up a few notice-me-not's on things that'll be harder to explain. Oh yeah-" Penelope paused in her reading to rummage in her bottomless purse for something. "I got you these so you can transfigure them into luggage. You can't just shrink everything like you did to get here." She handed Percy four bricks of wood, each about the length of his forearm and specifically sold for easy luggage transfiguration. Percy, against his will, felt a heavy lump forming in his throat; he wondered why on Earth he hadn't tried to make it work with this amazing woman.

"...Thank you." He whispered.

"After you get settled in, you had better take me for a whole _round_ of drinks." Penelope replied smugly, not looking up from her papers as Percy rubbed at his dry eyes.

Vvv

When Percy knocked on the door to 2B Rusce Place nearly four days later, he didn't know what to expect. All he knew about the man he would be boarding with was what Tanner had told him; that his name was Saburou Hanazawa, he was a foreigner and had been in need of a roommate since his job didn't pay as much as he needed it to. Tanner had assured Percy that Saburou was friendly after he had talked with him on the phone, and Percy only could hope that he wasn't friendly in a troublesome sort of way. After a minute he heard some muffled cursing through the door, then the locks were being released and next he knew he was looking up into the face of the oddest looking muggle he had ever laid eyes on.

He was a few inches taller than Percy and twice as broad, with a long, oval shaped face and a scruffy black goatee and moustache. His hair was jet black, styled up into a sort of swept back pompadour, and he was wearing a pair of oval glasses tinted light blue. Percy only had enough time to give the man a cursory once-over – he was dressed in grey sweat pants and a white v-neck t-shirt – before the muggle was clapping him on the shoulder and smiling down at him. Percy was going to have a hard time getting used to being the short one, he was sure of it.

"Hey, you the new roommate? Sorry, that Tanner guy told me you'd be here bit later than this, so I wasn't expecting you..." Percy regained his balance and adjusted his glasses hurriedly, a bit put off but determined to at least make a good impression.

"Uh- Percy Weasley, nice to meet you." He held out his hand and the other shook it heartily.

"Hanaza- oh, wait- Saburou Hanazawa, but you can call me Zetton, everyone does. Come on in... need help with those?" As soon as he had set them down, the feather weight charms on Percy's luggage had dispelled, so now he was struggling to lift all four. Zetton leaned over and took two without waiting for Percy's answer - took the two heaviest in fact, without even straining - and plopped them just inside the door, then stepped aside so Percy could enter.

"Thank you." Percy said shortly, moving swiftly so the other man could close the door again. Zetton walked past him and further into the apartment while Percy removed his shoes, and once Percy was upright again he gestured in the direction of the kitchen.

"Want to put off moving in? I was just starting to make some food." Percy hesitated but ultimately nodded, and followed the muggle into the small kitchen-dining room. It was painted dark brown with faded yellow floor tiles and wooden cupboards, with a fridge in the corner by the stove and a beat up table in the middle of the room surrounded by four chairs. Percy sat down tensely and watched Zetton as he resumed his place at the section of the counter that jutted out into the room, facing so that he could chop and still look up at the table occasionally. "So, why don't we play twenty questions to get this awkward feeling out, huh?"

Percy had no clue how to play twenty questions, but he could at least go along with what he assumed was the premise. "You go first, I'm moving into your space after all."

"Alright." Zetton was silent as he diced an onion sloppily and thought about what to ask. "Where did you live before this?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole, with my family." Percy paused for some time, waiting, but when Zetton looked at him expectantly he realized that now he was supposed to ask something. "Er – What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a Teaching Assistant, on a work visa. Best way to learn how to teach English is in English country, yeah?" Zetton said cheerfully, sweeping everything he had already chopped into a large wok along with the onion. "Not a best paying job I'm afraid, not like it is back in Japan at least, hence why I needed a roommate. Appreciate it, by the way. Okay... how old are you?"

"Nineteen, next month." Zetton whistled lowly, making Percy bristle slightly. "How old are _you_ then?"

"Twenty. What is it you do, exactly?" Percy was glad that he had thought of a cover story well in advance, because if this was how he and the muggle were going to interact then he wanted to keep it short and simple.

"I keep files organized and look over reports at an office building a few streets over. Why are you called Zetton?" The man let out a surprised bark of laughter at that question, momentarily stilling from his stirring of the food in the wok.

"Now _that's_ funny story." Zetton leaned on the counter for a moment, waiting for whatever was in the wok to cook a little longer. "See, there's this show back in Japan, and when I was in middle school the PhysEd teacher was nicknamed 'Ultraman' 'cause he had such a stick up his ass and he was always talking about himself, like the main character I guess. Anyways, I was minding own business when he starts yelling about how I was 'hanging out downtown last night' and bunch of shit like that, I dunno _what_ he was on." Zetton gave the wok a shake and started hovering around the other side of the counter as he spoke. "Well, he pissed me off so bad that, next thing I knew, I'd head-butted him right in the face! Ultraman was flat unconscious, bleeding from his nose, and the entire class cheered. One of the best moments of my life, I'll tell you. After a while, people started calling me Zetton, after another character from the show that defeated Ultraman. Whatcha think of that?"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life." Percy said immediately, half horrified and half shocked at the other man's... audacity, he supposed. Zetton, seemingly unaffected by his disbelief, went on to his question.

"Why did you move away from home?" Percy froze mid-disapproval and frowned deeply; he hadn't expected to have to talk about it, and he wasn't about to.

"My parents... my family and I don't see things the same way." Zetton nodded once before he placed two plates on the table, and Percy took this to mean that he understood enough. "What... is this?"

" _That's_ omelette rice, just about the only thing I can cook. Hope you like it, all you'll get from me." Zetton answered nonchalantly, digging into the food in lieu of asking another question. About ten minutes passed in silence, with Percy rather liking the taste of the new food, before Zetton finished, stretched and stood up to put his dish in the sink. Percy finished soon after and did the same, and then he glanced over to the doorway to find Zetton waiting for him.

"That there's the bathroom, that's my room." Zetton told him candidly, stomping down the hallway in front of Percy, with two of Percy's bags already in hand. "This here is you. Do whatever you want with it; if you don't come into mine then I won't go into yours." Zetton opened the door, put the luggage against the nearest wall and then stepped out as quickly as he had gone in. "Oh yeah, I'll be gone by seven tomorrow, so grab whatever you want from fridge. We can discuss money matters later... what's your schedule tomorrow?"

Percy was reeling slightly; this Zetton sure could talk, and though his English was pretty good, his accent made him a bit difficult to follow when he spoke rapidly like this. "Er – I'll be out until eight or abouts, I promised a friend I'd take them out as thanks for something."

"Then we'll talk after that. If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up, so long you're prepared for the possibility of a punch to the face." Zetton said this all very cheerfully, and Percy nodded, wishing him a good night and not closing the door until he heard the other man stomp off. He looked around the room; there was a window on the far wall, a bed in the corner, a desk with a chair opposite that, and a dresser in the last corner. Percy bypassed unpacking and went straight to the window to let Hermes inside –he was feeling terribly worn out, and when he looked at his watch he realized that it hadn't even been an hour. If he was going to be truthful with himself, he didn't mind the muggle much; he was loud, cheerful, apparently attacked people who made him mad or disturbed him and could cook something worth eating. But Percy glanced back at the two suitcases Zetton had lifted with no trouble at all, remembered the casual talk of teenaged violence and bright declaration of the possibility of future violence, and Percy shuddered minutely.

 _What have I gotten myself into..._

Vvv

Chapter one, DONE. If you thought that my Twilight x Worst crossover was weird, don't even _ask_ how I came up with this one. I _literally_ (and I am using the term correctly) have no recollection of how it happened.

Also this one will most certainly not update frequently. It took me SO LONG to write this first chapter and I'm stuck on the next one awfully.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Kids These Days Are Alright**

By: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Here is the second chapter of this awful, incredible, terrible hellspawn of a crossover. I hope I'm not transported back to the 1600s and lynched as a witch for giving birth to this abomination.

OVER THE SPOILER WALL

When Percy returned to the apartment from a round of drinking with Penelope, completely sober and pleasantly full of bar food, he had expected for Zetton to be either sitting in the kitchen or maybe asleep in his room. What he found instead was the older man sitting at the coffee table in the living room, comforter draped over his legs and a can of beer open beside him as he read through what was either the last or the first page of a stack of what looked to be tests. Percy toed his shoes off silently and hung his coat on one of the hooks in the hallway, then cleared his throat as he stepped into the room. Zetton jumped rather comically, nearly knocking his beer over, but he recovered quickly and shot an annoyed glare at the wizard, something that made Percy inwardly smirk.

"Money matters?" He prompted, and Zetton blinked as if he had completely forgotten, which Percy wouldn't put past him.

"Oh, right, okay. Just let me finish marking last test and then I'll be ready." Percy nodded and strode off to his room, hoping to let Hermes out to hunt before the owl started squawking irritably. Thankfully it didn't come to that, as Hermes forgave him following a few minutes of feather stroking, but Percy chose to linger a few minutes more before he returned to the living room.

"So, what did you want to go through?" Percy asked immediately, sitting down cross-legged on the other side of the table. He felt a bit ridiculous sitting on the floor like this, but conceded that muggles did things differently and if he was going to live with one then he was going to have to get used to it.

"Who's going to cover what." Zetton said lazily, twirling his pen in between his fingers and slouching. "I was thinking we'd split the rent down the middle, maybe stick with buying groceries for ourselves, and pay for any shit we break or need fixing on case by case. If you've got any ideas though, lay 'em on me."

Percy hadn't even thought about it. "I think it sounds alright... though maybe along with the groceries we should pick some stuff that'll be communal instead of having two of some things." Zetton nodded in agreement, and then scribbled on one of the test in front of him. They worked out a few more things as they sat there, like when they needed quiet in the evenings and the like, before Zetton yawned tiredly.

"Sounds like a plan. Man, these kids sure aren't morons like I'm used to seeing." Percy looked at one of the tests curiously; it was asking about the use of motifs in the major literature of the 1900s. "Well, I better get to bed. Boss man wants me there even earlier tomorrow."

"I should too. Good night." Zetton grumbled a reply before he closed the door to his room and Percy did the same, falling into a deep sleep almost immediately after he hit the mattress.

Vvv

Percy was not prepared for it when, a week and a half after he and his roommate had talked over their financial issues, his mother showed up at his new residence just after they had returned from their jobs. On Mondays the two left at different times but seemed to return at the exact same hour, and Zetton was just about to start on an early dinner when a knock resounded on the front door. Zetton was the one who answered it, this being his apartment for longer, but after a minute he returned to the kitchen with an odd expression on his face. Percy didn't think much of it, because he hadn't interacted with the older man much since their talk, but he paid attention when Zetton started speaking with a rather awkward lilt to his voice.

"Hey Percy, it's... it's your mother at the door. She's a little, uh..." Percy sighed and stood up, hoping to get this out of the way without much of a fuss. When he got to the entranceway he stopped so that his mother was still outside the apartment, and then took in her appearance. She looked the same as she always had; tired, endearingly plump, expectant – she was still his mother – but Percy also noticed that her eyes were red and her expression was resigned, as if she didn't know whether she should be here or not.

"Percy..." She started, almost as if she was surprised that he had actually answered the door.

"Mum. What do you want?" Percy _knew_ he was being cold, but what his parents seemed to think of him; that he was too foolish to know why Fudge might have wanted him, that if he took the job he would rat them out, that he believed everything the Daily Prophet reported without a second thought, well, it had hurt him more than anything he had ever felt before. He didn't want to forgive his mother just because she was his _mother_ \- he wanted her to apologize for thinking him a fool first.

"Percy, please, won't you come back home? It's alright that you were offered that job, we don't want this to break up the family when You-Know-Who's only just come back." Percy took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself, and then let it out when he realized it wouldn't work.

"It's alright that I took that job in the end, then?" Percy watched his mother's face flicker from pleading to briefly fearful and then back. So she really did think he was going to say something, didn't she, even after raising him for nearly two decades. "I'm not going to tell Fudge about your vigilante group, but I'm not going to abide by you either, not when you're following Dumbledore in the same way you think I follow Fudge. I stand with the _Ministry_ , with the _law_. Now leave, and don't come back, my roommate isn't in the know."

"Percy, please, just listen to reason-" Percy slammed the door in his mother's face and fell silent, listening for what she would do. He heard a few muffled sobs and then footsteps going down the hall, and as soon as he was sure there was no one out there anymore Percy harshly let out the breath he had been holding. He choked on it, let out a few mangled sobs, and then rapidly composed himself, wiping his face with his sleeve and taking several long breaths to calm himself down again.

When he returned to the kitchen, Zetton was frying meat in a pan, with toast already sitting on a plate in the middle of the table. He looked mildly uncomfortable, it was likely he'd heard parts of the conversation, but Percy didn't care about that right now. Instead he cleared his throat and picked up two pieces of toast from the plate.

"I'm – I'm going to go to bed. Sorry for the – the inconvenience." Percy hated how raspy his voice sounded just then, and he hated even more how Zetton glanced over at him pityingly. Percy scowled and turned on his heel, barely managing to close his bedroom door before tears overwhelmed his vision and he had to lean against the wall, silent save for the odd hiccup every few seconds.

Vvv

For the two months following that incident, Percy and Zetton spoke sparingly and saw each other only during the odd meal they shared. While Zetton had a lot of papers to grade in the living room almost every night, Percy holed himself up in his warded room, going over reports and sending Hermes out with letters occasionally. He was assigned not only to his regular work, but also to transcribe Harry Potter's trial into the official records; a task he wasn't too keen on being given, but performed to his best ability while he also took on more reports each passing day. He was overwhelming himself with work, only going out with Penelope every so often and almost never getting a good night's sleep.

If someone had asked him why he was working so hard, he might have told them that he didn't want to let the Minister down, but that wasn't the real reason. He _did_ want to be successful, of course, but really he was doing all this so that he didn't have to dwell on his parents and their stupid organization. If he kept this up, maybe Fudge would stop trying to pick him for blackmail and let him have some peace; maybe people would finally believe that he had cut himself off from his family and judge him on _his_ merits alone. It stressed him out every day, going in to the office with the certainty that he would have to see his father there, or even worse but more unlikely, one of his brothers. It hadn't happened yet but it was bound to, and coming back to his room every day was a relief.

Except, even when he was in the apartment he was being stressed out, and over his roommate no less. Penelope may have sung Denise's praises originally, but Percy was sure that it was only because she hadn't needed to hide her magic for even a month, maximum. Percy had needed to make all sorts of contingencies for hiding magic from Zetton, from notice-me-not charms on his work robes and Hermes' perch, to spell locks on his desk drawers and freezing all his moving pictures. He put illusions over his books, a password spell lock on his door, and just generally kept to himself for two months.

He was being cautious, since he would really rather not have to obliviate the older man; he had never quite agreed with the practice in the first place, and besides that, he liked what he saw of Zetton. But all the secrecy, the dodging and the isolation was beginning to get to him, not even mentioning the negative energy that was accumulating in Percy's room from all the concealment spells; that may have been contributing to his paranoia more than simple vigilance.

Zetton, of course, had other thoughts about Percy's behaviour rather than 'cautious'.

Vvv

When Zetton had first met Percy Weasley, all he could think of was that he hadn't seen a scrawnier person in recent memory, and he really hoped that real estate agent hadn't just sent him some kind of teenage runaway. As they spoke for a while before dinner, Zetton conceded that it was possible for people to get jobs easily straight out of high school as Percy seemed to have done, and it was really only his years as a _ronin_ that had caused the notion in the first place. He only felt slightly smug when his runaway theory had weight given to it by Percy's reluctance to speak about his home life, and by the time that they retreated to their respective rooms, Zetton had a pretty good grasp on what kind of guy he was going to be living with.

Percy seemed to be a quiet, easily irritated man with a respect for teachers - if how he reacted to Zetton's tale of his youth had been any indication. As the days went by and they interacted less than Zetton was expecting, he also concluded that Percy was a guy who liked his privacy, maybe he was even bad at dealing with new environments, like Bouya-san but in reverse.

That meeting with his roommate's mother had been incredibly off-putting, even with how kindly the woman seemed to be, and truthfully it made Zetton's blood boil hearing Percy make his own mother cry. But he had also heard a bit of the conversation leading up to it and a bit of something afterwards; Zetton resolved to leave it alone since it seemed that Percy was hurting equally as much over the exchange as his mother was.

Now two months had gone by since then, and while Zetton was getting settled with his new class, he had barely seen Percy at all outside of when they ate dinner. It was beginning to worry the ex-delinquent – none of his friends in high school had ever been recluses – and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Should he get him out of his room, out of the house, should he leave him alone? When he walked to the bathroom at night he almost always saw Percy's light on, and the younger man came back from work later and later each week.

Zetton gave it another few days, so he could think it over, and then went with what had always worked for him and jumped into the fight head first.

It was late on a Friday night, that being when Zetton was sure Percy had the following day off during the week. Without letting himself think too much about it, Zetton stomped down the hallway as soon as he hung his coat up and knocked on his roommate's door, perhaps a tad harder than he should have. A minute or two passed with sounds of shuffling coming from behind the wood, before Percy – still dressed in his sweater vest and tie from this morning – opened the door with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Oh, uh- Zetton... what do you need? I was in the middle of some transcripts..." The Japanese man scoffed and crossed his arms, face unconsciously morphing into the 'considering sensei' look that he had perfected over the two years he had been studying for University and advising Hana on the side.

"You've got tomorrow off, right? Come on and have a drink with me tonight, you've been working yourself too hard, man." Percy gave him an odd look, and Zetton expected the other to vehemently refuse, maybe even close the door without comment if he really was in the middle of some work, but Percy Weasley surprised him. The redhead sighed loudly and left the door open, walking back over to his desk and shutting the light off before he returned and stepped back into the hallway. As soon as his door was closed again, he levelled Zetton with an expectant look and crossed his arms.

"Well?"

Vvv

Once they were seated at the coffee table, a beer beside each of them and two containers of take out between them, Zetton asked the only thing he could think of to start off with.

"So, tell me how work's going, I mean, you sure are putting in lot of hours." Percy frowned lightly and sipped the foreign beer, trying to ignore Zetton's curious gaze and failing spectacularly.

"It's alright I suppose."

"Bullshit." Zetton was smiling when he said that, so Percy took it to be well meant.

"It's... not entirely what I expected. My boss isn't on very good terms with my family or who they associate with, so I _have_ to work harder to earn my keep." Percy spoke deliberately, not wanting to accidentally reveal something he wasn't supposed to. "He's also fairly... incompetent, so I'm stuck picking up after him more often than not."

Zetton nodded sympathetically; he was glad that even though the conversation was awkward, it wasn't hostile or defensive. He may still be in his springtime of youth, but he didn't always enjoy dodging punches from the people he had to live with.

"It doesn't help that my father works in the same building." Percy continued. "You saw from my mother that we don't exactly get along, it's been stressful having to go there every day... How are you doing with your new classes?"

"They all good kids, smart, easy to please." Zetton said, regarding his beer can with all the interest it was due; in other words, as a distraction. "It's bit of a drawback, to be honest."

"Why's that?"

"I want to be a teacher at the high school I went to back in Japan; Suzuran All-Boys High School. Y'ever heard of it?" Percy shook his head and Zetton shrugged. "Well, it's nicknamed the Crows school, and anyone who goes there is near guaranteed to be a moron, a delinquent, or both. Most of the guys there don't give a shit about their schooling, but that place... if they had even _one_ teacher who didn't treat them like Ultraman did me... Anyway, since all my students now aren't like guys there, I'm gonna go soft. I gotta be prepared, right?"

"Hm..." Percy let out a noncommittal sound, eyes on his drink. He didn't know how to respond to that. Zetton continued to surprise him; he had expected a different response and was left with this. "...tell me about it. Suzuran, I mean."

Zetton grinned. "Interested are you? Well if I do, you got to tell me about _your_ school. Okay?" Percy nodded and the older man settled back into a relaxed posture, grinning easily as he stared up at the ceiling in thought. "Suzuran had three floors, one for each grade, and the entire building was plastered with graffiti and littered with trash. A lot of rooms weren't used for classes, though they really should have been... haha, I remember Bouya-san brought a heater and _kotatsu_ into one of the abandoned offices and no one even cared, they barely _noticed_! When it was warmer out, all the third year _senpai_ \- er, upperclassmen- would skip classes and hang out up on roof, though I did that even when it was fucking freezing. It was a paradise for guys like me. It's different from most high schools, I've since realized, but I'm grateful I attended there."

Zetton paused for a while, as if to gather his thoughts. "I originally went there just because my upperclassman, Bouya-san, attended. It didn't take long for me to get swept up into the school's pace; soon enough I was fighting for top position just like the rest of my year mates, I even challenged Bouya-san himself."

"Top position?"

"Yeah... there's another school in Toarushi, Housen, which runs based on autocracy, one leader of the school at any time with a few officers directly underneath them. Opposed to that, Suzuran has always been split into multiple factions and until... a year ago, I guess, it has _never_ had single leader, only the factions striving against each other for domination of the school. Does that make sense?" Percy nodded hesitantly, trying to wrap his head around the concept of student military-like structures; he wouldn't have survived long in that kind of environment. "I followed that upperclassman all through my freshman year, wanting to support him to top, but ultimately that didn't happen, Bouya-san just didn't have... the drive? Ambition? ...shit, I ended up talking more about myself than the school!"

"No, it's interesting, I liked listening to it." Percy said, and he was being truthful. He had been feeling so... stressed out lately, it was nice to sit back for a few minutes just to listen to someone ramble on. "Did you still want me to tell you about my school? I'm afraid it's not nearly as stimulating."

"Yes, go on, go on! I want to hear this." Zetton sounded incredibly eager, and Percy couldn't decide on whether the older man was making fun of him or not.

"I went to Hogwarts, which teaches students from eleven to seventeen years. It's a boarding school designed for the children of parents mainly employed by the United Kingdom's more... travel oriented conglomerates. It's in an old castle in rural Scotland; it has a lake, forest, and a small town nearby, but it's incredibly insular and difficult to get to. All six of my other siblings attended."

"Sounds far different from what I'm used to." Zetton commented, crushing his empty beer can nonchalantly between his hands.

"It's also different from most high schools, as I've found out." Percy said, echoing Zetton's words from earlier and making the Japanese man laugh. "Unfortunately, while it never had much in the way of delinquents, lately it's had a touch of a security problem. Two teachers have been absolute lunatics, another had a... contagious disease, and then there was someone lurking around, attacking students based on their heritage. Needless to say, I'm glad to have left before things got even further out of hand."

"Hm. Sure are different, aren't they... schools that is." Zetton mused, cracking his back loudly. Percy took that moment to stand, brushing off his pants as his flatmate gave him a curious look.

"I really do have to get those reports done. Sometimes my boss calls me in on my days off. But... thank you, Zetton. I think I was going a little stir crazy before you forced a break on me." Percy's ears turned red in embarrassment at his admission, but if Zetton noticed the interesting shade, he didn't comment.

"Just don't make me force you again. Next time you better be the one knocking on my door, understand? I can't keep on worrying about you working yourself to death." Percy nodded, and then silently retreated back into his room. Though it had been only a brief respite from his work, he found that now he felt exponentially better than he had before. If this was what it felt like to take a well deserved break, Percy might just follow Zetton's suggestion after all.

Vvv

In the few months that came after that encounter, Percy had resolved to take a rest from his workload at least once a week, and once he had finished transcribing Harry Potter's trial, he even started to refuse the extra work his colleagues tried to foist onto him. It was an incredibly satisfying feeling, seeing Roland's face after he had told the older man off for it as politely as possible, leaving no loopholes in his argument and then walking off before he could retort.

" _Zetton. I've bought some beer if you're up for a drink." Percy said through the door, stepping back immediately in case he had woken the other up –he didn't actually want a punch to the face. It was several minutes before the shuffling from inside the room turned into steps and the door swung open, Zetton appearing with his hair in disarray and without his glasses but looking aware._

" _Thought you'd_ never _ask, Percy!" He said, clapping the wizard on the back good-naturedly. Percy's knees buckled a bit but he recovered and glared half heartedly up at the hulking man (being the shorter one was still incredibly odd)._

This new resolve was resolutely supported by Penelope and Zetton both, the first because she had always _said_ he needed to go easier on himself, and the latter because he seemed to enjoy Percy's continued company. _That_ took a bit of getting used to –someone actually wanting to spend time with him –but Percy was liking the muggle man as well as they interacted more often. Zetton had let on to feeling some loneliness nowadays that might have led to this tentative friendship between them; he was in a new country, learning a new language, half a world away from all his friends and family. But Percy couldn't blame him, as he was feeling much the same way.

" _Ah... of course I miss them all." Percy said as he chopped up some bacon for the stew. Zetton was sitting at the kitchen table still in his work clothes, cradling a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. "But my living there was hurting me more than being away is. It's not as if I could never go and see them –but I don't want to and I doubt they would want me to either."_

" _Whatever you want, Percy, I'm not judging." Zetton said, staring at his cup with uncharacteristic concentration. "Sometimes you gotta be away from the people you love."_

" _Mm." Percy acknowledged, stirring the meat into the vegetables absentmindedly. "What about your family, Zetton? I don't think I've asked you about them at all."_

" _Not many to ask about, really." Zetton answered nonchalantly. "My Dad left when I was born, he only comes back to badger my Mum for money every so often. My Mum's a great woman, she raised me singlehandedly and's a semi professional MMA fighter, though her day job's in an office. Bouya-san was sort of like my older brother in middle school, but I haven't seen him in years, only heard of where he's been from Yasu." He tapped his spoon on the table. "Truth is, I miss my friends from Suzuran more than anyone."_

In fact, this mutual understanding was actually benefiting both of them. They were both low maintenance people when it came to friendship –Percy really only needed someone to vent to every so often, and Zetton expressed that he enjoyed chattering on about his life if he had someone there to listen to him. This way, Percy was feeling less stress from his job and Zetton was able to get whatever he needed as well (whatever it was, it made his meals taste better).

" _Woah! Shiiit!" Zetton shouted as the bonfire suddenly intensified, consuming the straw dummies hung above it with ruthless efficiency. He had heard of the local Bonfire Night celebrations from the kids in his class and had dragged Percy along with him to help him navigate everything –never mind the fact that Percy had never been to a Bonfire Night celebration in his life._

" _This says they're doing some fireworks in an hour." Percy told him, reading the paper the older man had printed out from the computer. "Most of the stuff until then are for kids or just food vendors and trinket tables."_

" _From what I saw there's a bunch of stuff I haven't eaten before." Zetton said, looking over at a group of college students who had burst out into song about twenty feet over. "Maybe if I like it I can try out a recipe. And it's always fun to browse around –maybe I can grab a few souvenirs for everyone back home..."_

" _Then let's go and take a look." Percy said, sounding as if it was a great inconvenience for him. In a way it was –he had reports left to do still sitting on his desk, and he had to go in early tomorrow as well. But for some reason he couldn't quite manage to tell Zetton to let him head home in peace, even as it grew later and the fireworks passed, and the two of them ended up in a bar somewhere drinking ale and learning the rhymes from the other people sitting around them. By the time they had the wherewithal to start heading back it was three in the morning, and Percy called in sick for the first time in his career._

Of course, Percy did blunder a few times during the months he was giving himself a break. With more time to himself, he had heard of Ron's new prefect status and had sent him a letter that, upon later reflection, wasn't the subtlest of things and probably would have been better off thrown in the trash (although it gave the benefit of further showing to others that not only was he distancing himself from his family, the sentiment was returned just the same). To make matters worse, he had given an interview praising Dolores Umbridge's appointment to High Inquisitor, and he had done so for entirely the wrong reasons. But what was done was done.

" _Fucking-! Fuck."_

" _Zetton?" Percy asked, having heard the expletive from his room. The man in question was leaning against the wall next to the doorway, red faced and trying to toe off his shoes and unravel his scarf at the same time –he was failing miserably. When he looked up to see Percy standing in the hallway he grinned lopsidedly and made to move closer, only to apparently forget about his loose shoes and trip on them rather spectacularly._

" _Fuck me, that fucking hurt... gah, shit, shit..." Zetton grumbled, glaring at Percy with glazed eyes as the redhead started to chuckle at his expense. "Fuck off, baldy. Shit..."_

" _Are you_ drunk _?" Percy asked, moving so he could help Zetton stand. The taller man was unsteady on his feet and reeked of alcohol, an unpleasant combination as he leaned on Percy's shoulder for support. "Here, get your shoes off and I'll help you go down the hall. You can sleep this off."_

 _Zetton did as he said with little complaint, contentedly mumbling about someone named 'King Joe' and how much he wanted to have a rematch, interspersed with all manner of swears and uncomplimentary descriptions. Percy ignored it and pulled him along carefully, grateful when they finally reached Zetton's sparsely decorated bedroom and he could set him down on the edge of the bed._

" _Alright, get undressed and go to sleep. I have something that'll help your hangover in the morning." Percy told him, mind drifting to the few vials of hangover dampener he had brewed after he'd begun to have a few beers every now and then._

" _Thanks, Perce..." Zetton mumbled, grinning far too cheerily for someone who had been running an ill tempered commentary the past few minutes. "You're great, fuff...fuckin' great. You a great guy..."_

" _...thanks. G'night." Percy said, ears a bit red as he retreated from the room and went back to his reports._

On the overall though, Percy was quite content with how things were in his life. He got along with his roommate, had drinks on occasion with Penelope and actually felt _satisfaction_ from his work every now and again. It was an altogether... different sort of state of mind to have, when barely months before he had felt so desperate that he had simply sat against Penelope's front door and cried. Of course, this shift in his everyday wasn't about to make him reconcile with his family –far from it –but now he wasn't so concerned with the prospect of seeing his father or brothers at the Ministry, and was also finding it easier to curb Fudge's continued attempts at wheedling him for information on the Order or his family's business.

" _Oh, you brought takeout." Percy noticed immediately after taking off his boots and shaking his coat free of snow. It was early December now, and the snow had gotten to be a constant presence on his commute to work –though thankfully there was an awning outside of the apartment's front door, so there was no obligation for them to shovel any of it. Zetton was currently seated at the kitchen table with several takeout boxes scattered about the surface around his now trademark stack of papers he was grading. Percy often wondered whether or not he was taking work from other departments on the sly, he always had so much of it._

" _It's Indian, though I didn't get much in the way of spicy." Zetton said, not looking up. Percy went over to the cupboard nearest the fridge and retrieved a plate and some cutlery before busying himself with the coffee maker –it was one of the first muggle appliances he had learned to use, courtesy of a smugly laughing Zetton who had found it utterly hilarious that he didn't know how to use a lot of commonplace modern technology._

" _That's fine, I can only tolerate a bit of it anyways." Percy replied. He spooned the rice and curry onto his plate first, leaving it to cool a moment as he made up his coffee the way he liked it. "Big test to mark I take it?"_

" _Nah, this is just a personal project I got assigned. For how much I complain about him, the boss does want me to learn, so now I reading short stories the students picked to get my comprehension skills up." Zetton sighed and flipped the paper he'd just been perusing to the bottom of the stack. "Ah, sometimes I miss being a_ ronin _..."_

" _A what?" Percy asked; in the past few months, Zetton had proved to have a penchant for enjoying the oddest of things –one of which being explaining the occasional Japanese phrase or concept he brought up in conversation._

" _A_ ronin's _a high school graduate who fail a college entrance exam. I was one for a few years before I got accepted to the teaching abroad program I'm in now." Zetton squinted at the page and snorted. "Little bastard's trying to make me read a romance..."_

" _Wouldn't you have had to study_ more _though?" Percy asked further, now halfway through his meal and feeling more relaxed. "If you kept having to take the exam, I mean?"_

" _Yeah, but at least I was studying to try and get something_ more _. I hate studying to hone a skill I've_ already _got." Zetton paused a second and then pushed the stack to the side. "I'll finish it later, I've got all weekend. Did your boss giving you shit again today?"_

" _Not so much, no. I think he's starting to realize he can't get blackmail from me anymore than he could get it from the source. I'm starting to be able to take my lunch break now in peace."_

" _I was going to suggest you quit. He relies on you so much, you should stick it to him for treating you like that!" Zetton said vehemently, jabbing his fork in Percy's face. "Heck, I would've kicked his ass by now. Gave him the old Fujinami's Dragon Suplex Hold!"_

" _If I did that I'd get arrested." Percy assumed since he had no idea what Zetton was talking about, smiling though after a moment at the attempt to cheer him up. "But I do appreciate the sentiment. And anyway it's hard to find a job nowadays –I'd be better off bearing it until he gets switched out or something better pops up elsewhere."_

Their friendship was easy and Percy always enjoyed the little breaks it provided him from his ever present work load. Once you got past his rough and eccentric tendencies, Zetton was actually a fairly reasonable man to get along with, though there were times when they argued or couldn't be near each other without discontent brewing. On the whole, Percy had his work and his privacy, and now he had someone to talk to who didn't make him feel as if he were an idiot for how he liked doing things.

Though he had known it wouldn't last for very long.

vvv

"You look angry." Zetton observed from his place at the kitchen counter, having decided to try and make dinner tonight –something that wasn't _omurice_ , in fact. Percy was red faced and had just stomped in without so much as a 'good day', only pausing when he noticed Zetton standing with a chopping knife and several bowls littering the counter behind him, watching him apprehensively. "Dinner's nearly ready, if you want to take a minute to calm down."

"Quite!" Percy fumed, kicking his shoes in the direction of the door and storming down the hall with an open package under his arm. Zetton whistled lowly and decided to set the places anyway –if only so that when Percy inevitably came back still frustrated, he wouldn't be tempted to throw any of the dishes he might have needed to grab from the cupboard. He had just set the bowl of coleslaw on the table when Percy came back into the room, only his ears red now and dressed in a threadbare sweater and jeans.

"Beer?" Zetton asked unnecessarily –Percy had already opened the fridge and grabbed one himself. "Alright. Well, help yourself, there's a lot here."

There was a few minutes of awkward silence as they took what they wanted from the spread –fried fish, chips and coleslaw –and started eating. Every so often Zetton glanced up at Percy and noticed that his face was slowly turning redder and redder, and whether or not it was from the alcohol or his previous anger, it didn't look at all healthy.

"Want to talk about it?" Zetton offered neutrally.

" _Yes._ " Percy said emphatically, and Zetton made a 'go on' motion with his hand. "It's my parents –no, my _entire family._ They just expect me to accept it, not even question –not even want to go and-" Percy choked a little bit and breathed deeply, face suddenly going pale, making his freckles stand out starkly on his cheeks. "It's... they sent me a damn Christmas sweater like Mum does _every_ year. But this time there was a note with it saying –'we want you to come home for the family dinner, your father's getting out of the hospital and we want everyone there'?! I had to pull in a favour from someone I know in reception just to figure out what they _meant!_ Apparently my Dad's been holed up in the 'Serious Bites' ward for the past week, nearly died once over and they've already been to see him! And no one told me!"

"Everyone else already knew?" Zetton asked, making Percy twitch and take a big drink of the beer; he flushed with colour again, and Zetton suddenly realized that his oh-so mature roommate was a _lightweight._

"Not only that, but everyone in that _stupid group_ of theirs knew too! Jeremy said he saw Moody and Kingsley visiting –they're both Au- _Cops_! They could've notified me officially! Do they really-" Percy's face crumpled a bit and Zetton jolted at the fat tears that started rolling to drip onto his fish. "-think I don't _care_? They think I'm an _idiot!_ They think I'll sell them out as soon as Fudge waves a pay raise in my face like I didn't work so hard just trying to impress _them_!"

" _Kami,_ Percy. C'mon, don't talk like that." Zetton tried to soothe, scrambling to remember how he handled Bouya when he got to be like this. "You're _not_ an idiot, and you certainly wouldn't sell your own family out for any reason. Even _I_ know that. Here, give me the beer, I think you've had enough..."

"But they think I will!" Percy protested, handing Zetton the empty can regardless. "I tried to like what Bill and Charlie did, but they never wanted me around! I kept Fred and George from hurting themselves and they call me a prick! Ron thinks I'm the biggest ponce alive because I took pride in my grades and I barely know Ginny at all anymore! Now Mum thinks I'm going to tell my boss about their efforts and Dad thinks I'm too stupid to realize when I'm being manipulated because of what happened with Crouch!"

"You're dropping a lot of names I'm not familiar with and this seems to be turning into a pity party." Zetton deadpanned as he stood up. One second Percy looked ready to retort and the next he was squawking, having been picked up and flung over the man's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. " _You_ are going to sleep, now. And you're sleeping in my room, because you obviously need a break from your work before you can think clearly again."

"Zetton! Put me down or I'll hex you!" Percy hissed, punching the larger man in the small of the back to no avail.

"Hex? Are you one of those New Age types Perce?" Zetton teased, flinging the redhead onto the bed and then flopping over horizontally so he pinned Percy down with his stomach. "Now go to sleep, because I know your twig arms aren't going to be moving me even an inch."

Percy sniffed and seemed to lose all his fire in that moment, raising his arms to wipe away the wet patches on his face. "I wish I hated them."

"No, you don't." Zetton told him simply, and Percy hiccupped a few times but remained silent after that, breath evening out after a few minutes as he obligingly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Kids These Days Are Alright**

By: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

SPOILERS

Things changed between them after that emotional encounter at the dinner table, even though Percy tried to act the same as always and Zetton didn't _want_ anything to change.

Though he thought no differently about the situation, in the weeks to follow that night Percy no longer tiptoed around any mention of his family –and indeed almost seemed to take any opportunity he could to get his frustrations out of the way if Zetton was fine with listening. At first the wizard was hesitant about this (mostly embarrassed at his actions while so angry), but as December bled into January and he and Zetton spent more time in each other's presence, he started to really open up. He fibbed a lot when it came to the finer aspects of the situation; his family were involved in a group of anti-corporate activists instead of a magical vigilante group, and other such changes, but Zetton was patient and a willing listener and so he tried to stay as truthful as he could.

He spoke often of how unappreciated he felt at work and the pressures Fudge was only just now starting to ease up on, but when it came down to it what he found most liberating to get off his chest were the fears and certainty that his family didn't want him around. He explained the remarks he had made after receiving the sweater, confided in Zetton that he didn't think he would be able to forgive them or himself if this kept on as it did, and accepted small pieces of advice whenever Zetton felt particularly inclined to impart them, which wasn't often.

But the vast majority of their time in each other's presence wasn't emotional heart-to-hearts or stilted games of twenty questions. Actually they mainly sat in the kitchen together from dinner on, Percy working on the most mundane of his still staggering amounts of paperwork while sipping at his favourite blend of tea and Zetton either going through his class's homework or reading a Japanese publication he had somehow managed to find in the middle of London. Most of the conversation at those times was lighter fare; how work was going, interesting events, funny childhood stories or Zetton's talk of his time at Suzuran.

By the beginning of February Percy almost started feeling at home in this strange new place he had ended up in, when there came up another problem.

He was almost completely sure that Zetton was flirting with him.

Clumsy and subtle as it was, there wasn't really any other way to describe some of the awkward things Zetton said or the funny expressions he made whenever he thought Percy wasn't paying attention. The mere fact that more often than not Zetton would stare at him from across the table for a few minutes before Percy decided to show that he had noticed was proof enough –once that happened Zetton would turn redder than a drunk and flimsily construct an excuse for looking that Percy never believed. Percy was attempting to ignore it, vacillating between flattered nonchalance and flustered attempted detachment, but it was getting harder to pretend and more troublesome as the days went by.

Zetton, by comparison, was close to pulling his hair out and calling up his mother for support on a near daily basis.

He wasn't actually flirting with Percy, although he had seen most of his high school friends awkwardly attempt to do it for long enough that he could recognize that his own actions greatly resembled it. What he _was_ doing was making a major fool of himself in the attempt _not_ to flirt, as he had come to the revelation of his little crush on his roommate as if he had been hit in the face with a brick. Or maybe a punch from King Joe was more accurate a feeling, as this realization was accompanied by the distinct flavour of smug 'you'll never beat me' attitude that Joe had been preceded by in his early years at Housen.

It hadn't happened overnight –or maybe it had started overnight, as the first time Zetton really recalled the feeling was the day after he had forced Percy to take a breather from his own self pity. It was certainly a surprise to him, developing such an outrageous thing on his one year younger roommate so naturally. He didn't want to feel this way, especially not after years of getting the impression from women that he was an undesirable lout (nay say from his friends notwithstanding in the least), and _certainly_ not for a grumpy, blunt, charming workaholic who lived in a country that Zetton would only be living in temporarily.

Zetton wondered if Percy noticed sometimes, and then metaphorically slapped himself because there was no possible way the other man couldn't see it, with Zetton zoning out staring at him all of the time. It wasn't even as if he thought Percy particularly attractive; it was just that the redhead's movements unconsciously pulled him in and he often found that whenever he got distracted his eyes would go to the other man without thinking. Really when he thought about it, Percy wasn't at all good-looking, or at least not in the way Zetton usually found himself drawn to the women he liked.

But Zetton found him (and nearly all aspects of him) _interesting_ , and that was probably why he found it so easy to focus on him without even really doing anything. As previously stated, Zetton had rotten luck with finding women who would give him a chance, and those he did end up in a relationship with were gone faster than the average delinquent went through hairstyles. It wasn't for lack of chemistry, but was always for the same reason –they grew bored with each other, and by the end of it all there was nothing keeping them going but the occasional bout of sex, and silent, awkward dinner dates.

But Zetton had been living with Percy since early July, and so far not only did he find the other man great company most of the time, but Percy kept _him_ on his toes. There was no physical relationship between them to fall back on when things got difficult, there were no expectations for either of them from the other, and as horrible as it was to say, Zetton didn't feel the urge to wander because there was nothing tying him down. There was _nothing_ _there_ , and so he was free to develop his feelings or drop them as he pleased, and since Percy didn't know the full story, there would be no feelings hurt in the end if this roommate deal didn't work out.

Percy only had Penelope to talk to but never did ask her how Zetton could find anything _worth_ flirting with in him.

Needless to continue saying, it was an awkward New Year for the mismatched roommates and only grew worse as time passed on into March.

Vvv

Percy was flustered.

It was the last Saturday evening of the Easter holidays, and as such Zetton had taken it upon himself to get as piss drunk as he possibly could so that he could go into work on Monday as refreshed as ever due to having recovered from his hangover on Sunday (a tactic that he trusted in immensely from his days as a ronin). Percy on the other hand was expected to go into work on Sunday as he'd had a few days off, and thusly had refused the offer of drinks with more seriousness than he usually showed, not wanting to have to call in sick if he didn't need to. This arrangement had been all fine and dandy while Zetton was out with work colleagues at the bar and Percy was drinking tea and reading in the living room, but didn't work out so well once the red faced and giggling Japanese man came stumbling back in with a friend at twelve thirty in the morning.

"Here, take him, take him!" The unknown man begged Percy as soon as he spotted him, shaking the drunkard a little to emphasize just who he was talking about. "He keeps wanting to fight someone and won't quit giggling, I'm too sober to be getting this irritated!"

"Ah, of course, just a minute..." Percy hurriedly marked his page in the novel and stood, taking Zetton from the other with only minor difficulty. Zetton blinked at him from behind his skewed glasses and grinned, but didn't really do much else as he was close to a stupor.

"Jeez, that guy sure can knock it back." The man commented, stretching out his shoulder like he had dragged Zetton a mile and smiling wryly. "Aren't Japanese people supposed to be lightweights?"

"No, uh, that's a myth..." Percy said awkwardly, shifting his stance a little. "Thanks for getting him back, I can take it from here."

"Alright then, I'll be off." The man left as quickly as he had come, only pausing to make sure that he didn't still have Zetton's keys on his person. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Percy with a worryingly drunk roommate and the sudden realization that he wasn't going to be able to carry Zetton all of the way down the hall by himself.

"Okay, Zetton, I'll be right back, just... wait here." He said to the unresponsive man, lowering him down as slowly as possible so that he rested against the wall in a sitting position. "Don't fall over, I'll be right back."

Ears red –he knew Zetton couldn't hear him and felt embarrassed at talking to what was essentially a breathing brick wall –Percy sped down the hallway and made it to his potions drawer at his desk in record time, searching for an alcohol dissolver that would sober Zetton up enough that he could help Percy get him to the bedroom. Strangely he was having a bit of a time finding it (he was sure that he had a few vials left over from his last brew) but all he was coming up with were nearly empty containers and something purple that smelled of rotten eggs.

Distantly Percy registered a loud thump sounding from the living room and prayed that Zetton hadn't passed out on the floor. He resumed his search with more energy, and eventually procured a tiny vial of an only slightly overcooked version of the dissolver, which while not as potent would have to do in this situation. As Percy walked back to the other room he rationalized that he could simply set Zetton up to sleep where he was, but he was still slightly nervous about Zetton's promise of violence back in July and thus wasn't as keen to put himself in a position to receive any of his ire.

"Oh, Merlin..." Percy sighed, placing the vial on the coffee table and kneeling down so he could gently turn Zetton onto his back and then back to sitting up. The man was still awake, blearily searching Percy's face and hiccupping every few seconds –keeping one hand on Zetton's shoulder to steady him, Percy grabbed the vial of potion and gingerly moved Zetton into the proper position for oral administration.

Zetton thankfully didn't choke on the liquid, but his face did turn green for several seconds as he sobered enough to comprehend the taste of what he was being given. Percy waited patiently for the other to come back to himself, relieved when it only took a few minutes for his pupils to reach a normal dilation and his body to stop swaying precariously.

"Par-cee?" The man slurred slowly, his accent as thick as Percy had ever heard it. "War... wherr are we?"

"In our living room, Zetton, your friend brought you back. You're quite drunk." Percy replied plainly. "I need you to help me get you back to the bedroom."

"Wuh... but I donnn..." Zetton said, eyes narrowed as he tried to concentrate on his words. "I dun want to do ittt... 'm too fur gone to get it up..."

"Get it...?" Percy asked, and then his brain caught up with him and his ears turned a bright, fire engine red almost immediately. "Zetton! We will _not_ be doing _that,_ I assure you! You need to go to your room to sleep this off!"

"Oh –oh, _hai. G-Gomennasai,_ Par- _Percy._ I wasnn... wasn thinkin'." Zetton mumbled, now trying to get himself to his feet, but unable to do so while talking as well. Percy was absolutely mortified but swung one of Zetton's arms over his shoulders nonetheless, and together they managed to gain some manner of stability between them before beginning the arduous task of moving. "M'sorry... I didn _mean_ t' say that. I jus been fellin –feeelin off, dun have none to talk to –intr-intrana-imter –fuck, calls to _N-Nihon_ 're so 'xpensve..."

"...You could... talk to me if you needed to?" Percy offered, suddenly nervous about where this could lead, and what a Zetton with a loosened tongue might say (or what he might remember tomorrow). "I mean, I've been yakking on about my family issues and you always listen, so, I wouldn't mind returning the favour."

"Cannn't. Can't cuz it's 'bout you!" Zetton whined. " _Watash-shi wa... m'n'goto g'aruku ikta-taknain'de, w'tshi wa... 'nata n' s're o-tsu-t'ru-k'to-wa-kesshin'darou*!"_

"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me about it." Percy placated, stopping briefly so he could push the door to Zetton's room open with his foot. "But you could tell me about other things, if you ever want to. I mean, when was the last time you called your family?"

"...Chr'stm's."

"Exactly, and unlike me, your relationship with your family is _good_. So... heh, don't be a stranger." Zetton was silent as Percy lowered him onto the bed, and remarkably stayed sitting upright as the wizard tugged back the covers, pulled off the drunkard's shoes and prodded him around until he was suitably lain out and covered.

Zetton fell asleep quickly, faster than Percy had expected probably due to the fact that the potion had been a little off –he only hoped the nausea dampening aspect was equally accelerated, otherwise Zetton was going to be in for a rough time. Double checking that the man was out cold, Percy decided to cast a few monitoring charms just to be on the safe side, and then retreated from the room before he could do anything that might come back to bite him later.

Vvv

"He is not."

"He is."

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure."

Penelope propped her chin up on her left hand, a stumped expression crossing her face. "I don't get it."

"Goodness, your flattery knows no bounds. How could I have ever been hesitant about telling you this?" Percy said blandly, taking a large swig of his beer for lack of anything else.

"That's not what I _meant._ I just thought... how did he notice? I thought I was going to be the only one to notice your good points until the end of time." She sniffed and looked put out. "You haven't even been living with him for a year yet and he's already flirting with you. It's just unexpected."

"Well it's not as if I did anything particularly noteworthy." Percy said. "I'm just as surprised as you. This has never happened to me before."

"You're obviously not too bothered by it." Penelope observed, making Percy blush. "Not bothered at _all_ by the looks of it. Tell me Percy, does this strange man make your heat go wild and your very being ache with longing?~"

"No!" Percy sputtered while Penelope laughed at him from behind her glass. "No, it's... I don't want to do... _uh..._ "

Penelope let her friend flounder for a minute longer while her giggles subsided, smiling at him fondly. "I know. But it's only going to get worse if you two don't talk about whatever this is..." Penelope suddenly grew sombre and cast a wary glance around them, glad tonight for the deserted bar. "I've been hearing rumours, Percy. About your family, and the escaped Death Eaters, and stuff going on in Fudge's office. Even the muggles I talk to can feel it –they're getting nervous. The families are asking if they should make preparations to leave, the higher ranked ones are trying to figure out what to do if everything goes sour."

"They're just rumours, Penny." Percy tried to soothe, but she shook her head.

"No, it's more than that." She insisted, and before continuing she drew her wand and placed a privacy ward around their little space. "Dumbledore's nowhere to be found, all the suspected He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named supporters –and I know who they are, they're anti-muggle and it's my duty to know –all of them are putting their eggs together and gathering favour, and they're starting to try and discredit my office. My friend Marlene works over at the Prophet, and she's been seeing those same people making regular meetings with her bosses. I'm starting to get _scared_ , especially now that I'm seeing Tanner."

Percy didn't know what to say; he had had no idea of any of what Penelope had just unloaded, except for the brief mention of Dumbledore's disappearance and her fresh relationship with the real estate agent. "Nothing's going to happen to either you or Tanner." He ended up saying, rather like he was in denial. "If it makes you feel better –well, I was always better than you in Charms, so... I could set up some wards and things, just as a safety. At your place and Tanner's."

"And yours." Penelope pleaded. "Make your place safe too. And talk to Zetton, because I'm scared that you two will put it off and then something bad will happen, and it will, I _know_ it will. You're going to regret it if something really is wrong, and you never talked to him about this because 'things are fine the way they are'. Promise me, Percy."

"P-Penelo–"

"Promise!"

Percy swallowed thickly; he was surprised at how seriously Penelope was taking this, these rumours about You-Know-Who and his slowly growing support in the wizarding underground. "Okay, I promise. But not yet, it's only April. I'll talk to him before the lease renews on the apartment at the end of June... just in case."

Vvv

Zetton couldn't help himself anymore.

"Percy, I really need someone to talk to right now."

The man in question looked up from his papers sharply, as if he had forgotten that he had left the door to his room wide open. Zetton managed to briefly inspect the slightly younger man's room –he had barely seen it at all in all of the time that Percy had been living with him since Percy was so private about himself –but it was very short lived because within a few minutes Percy was bustling him down the hallway and into the kitchen so they could have some tea while they spoke.

"Go ahead." The redhead encouraged, concern shining brightly on his face and making Zetton blush somewhat to be the reason for such an expression. Percy busied himself with getting things ready for the tea, by now knowing how Zetton liked his done, but kept glancing back to where Zetton was sitting at the kitchen table so as to show that he was still listening.

"I know a lot of people who I consider friends from my years at Suzuran." Zetton started out awkwardly, wanting to give a bit of context to this. "Bouya-san was the only one I knew at first, because he was my senior in middle school and the reason why I went to Suzuran in the first place. Then the first year war took place –eh, that's when the freshman all fight to determine who's the strongest in the year, and who not to mess with and shit like that. I met my four best friends during that time; Iwashiro Gunji, Katou Hideyoshi, Yonezaki 'Kome' Takayuki, and Kobayashi Masanari. Then I met my three contemporaries, the Four Kings people called us; Takeda Kousei who was the fifth leader of the gang 'The Front of Armament', Nakajima Shunsuke, the head of the Kurotaki Alliance, and Kanayama 'King Joe', the leader of Housen. And then there's Hana, who was my two years younger underclassman."

"I-feel-like-I'm-getting-farther-and-farther-away-from-the-people-who-matter-to-me." Zetton confessed all in one breath. "I don't know what to do about it. Calling's still too expensive with my budget, and ever since learning English I've had a hard time sticking to one language when writing things out, and none of them know English at all except for Masa, maybe, so writing's out. I haven't heard from Bouya-san since I was eighteen except for one letter from Yasu. Gunji's busy with his carpentry, Hide and Masa run a debt-collecting firm in Tokyo, Kome's having a kid. King Joe, Nakajima, Takeda; they're all in the wind. Hana... I feel like a proud older brother, but he graduated a year ago and went back to the mountains, and there's no service out there. _Kami..._ I don't know where I'm going with this, but you're really the only one I can turn to with my bullshit right now."

During Zetton's tirade, Percy had listened carefully and made up their tea at the same time, and by the time the Japanese man had quieted he had placed a steaming mug in front of him and taken the seat on the other side of the table. Nothing was said for a few minutes, and Percy thought very carefully about everything that Zetton had said before he opened his mouth to reply.

"You said it took you two years as a... ronin, to get into a university, but you're here because the first three years of the program give you experience, right?" Zetton nodded. "How long did it take your friends to get where they are now?"

"...well, they all got to it right after graduating." Zetton said, having to think about it. "Gunji went into his family business as soon as the certificate was in his hands, and Kome's cousin had the job lined up for him for months, and he met his girlfriend in Roppongi almost as soon as he got there. Hide and Masa have always been together, they were probably planning on going to Tokyo for a while before they did, and Masa's brother leant them the money to get started."

"When did you know what you wanted to do?"

"I decided for sure on graduation day. I'd thought about it before but didn't do much other than study half heartedly." Zetton admitted, the point Percy was working towards becoming clear to him as soon as he said that. "I started later than they did, so I shouldn't feel like I'm further behind?"

"Yeah, basically. Should I feel like I'm not up to snuff because my older brothers are already well established in fields they love? No, because they have four and two years on me." Percy said this all very matter-of-factly, but really it was something that he himself had only accepted recently as well. "Your friends, those four at least, seem like they had a bit more time to set up where they wanted to go when compared to you. I can't say anything about those others... well, maybe I can _help..._ "

"Oh?" Zetton asked. Percy looked unsure for a few seconds, but settled quickly and left the room to 'grab someone he should meet', not pausing at Zetton's very vocal confusion.

"This is Hermes. I was given him for a birthday present a few years ago, and he's a trained courier bird." Percy said, owl perched regally on his shoulder and Zetton staring at him as if the bird was a second head that he had spontaneously grown. "He's usually sleeping or off on an errand, which is why you've never seen him, and he's very well behaved. And he can find _anyone, anywhere_ as long as you write their full name on the letter."

"That sounds like a load of bull." Zetton said without thinking, and then hastily backpedalled. "Sorry, that was stupid to say. But _really_? Only a _name_?"

"He's _very_ well trained." Percy assured. "If you want, he can take one trip there and back. Take some time to make sure the letters you write are completely in Japanese, and he'll deliver them."

"How many letters can he take? More importantly, are the responses going to have to come back through the post?" Zetton asked, mind already pulling together a short list of those he wanted to write to and what he wanted to say.

"He'll drop off up to ten different ones, rest, and then go back to each until he gets a reply. Just let them know he'll come back and to tie the letters into the pouch he'll have on his back." Percy stroked Hermes' head gently, glad that the owl was being especially even tempered today. "Think about it and let me know. It doesn't have to be right away."

Vvv

 _*basically "i'll never tell you_ that _, because i don't want things to go bad."_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Kids These Days Are Alright**

By: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

SPOILERS

" _Zetton, did anyone at that school of your ever drop out before they were done?"_

 _Zetton shook himself out of the hazy focus he slipped into while marking, and looked over to the counter to see that Percy was waiting for an answer, having paused in his slicing to give him his full attention. Zetton wondered briefly why the redhead was asking –before the question actually processed in his mind and he couldn't help but laugh._

" _Ah, lots did. Technically speaking, high school's optional almost everywhere in Japan. It's similar to how you can quit school at sixteen here." Zetton said, pushing his dwindling stack of papers away for the time being. "I know guys older than me who did –Bouya-san for one after he failed to graduate –and some younger too, like one of Hana's housemates. Why do you ask?"_

 _Percy looked for a moment as if he wasn't going to answer, but that passed just as it always did –Zetton supposed that it wasn't easy for such a private person to suddenly be so open about things. "My younger brothers, George and Fred, just dropped out the other day. They didn't even take their final exams."_

" _Yeah? What did they want to do after they graduated?"_

" _Open a joke shop. I'll admit, they seem like they could do it if they put their minds to it, but I can't help but be a little concerned –they're only seventeen." Percy resumed his preparations for dinner, letting Zetton stew on that._

" _Well, seventeen is young I guess, if you're alone with no one to help you. But they've got each other and the rest of your family, and they already know what they want." Zetton reasoned. "A_ senpai _of mine, Mako, he dropped out to get into carpentry since that was his part time job then anyways. Four years later and he's getting married soon, and apparently is close to owning that business he started out in. Hana's friend, Takumi, dropped out either in his second or third year of high school, and he's doing fine now as well... working with another_ senpai _of mine in an auto shop."_

" _Oh... so I guess I shouldn't worry then..." Percy trailed off uncertainly, but Zetton shook his head._

" _Nah, worry all you want –they're your kid brothers after all, there's nothing wrong with being worried about them. But unless they come to you, there's nothing you can do for them, so you've gotta make peace with that too." Zetton snorted. "Now quit it with the thoughtful looks and let me get back to my papers!"_

Percy's mind was buzzing –he was sitting at the desk in his office, listening to the chaos around him as everyone from the head of the DMLE to Perkins in his father's office seemed to be scrambling around, trying to get as much done as they could in the shortest amount of time. It was six o'clock in the morning and Percy hadn't been home for two days, and this was the first time in at least ten hours that he had been able to sit down and take a breath.

Voldemort's return had been revealed, and the entire British Wizarding community was reeling at the news.

Percy was so tired he could barely think, yet at the same time his thoughts wouldn't turn off; he couldn't think of a single thing he should be doing right now even though he logically knew there were over a hundred things that needed doing. Mostly he was ruminating on his last conversation with his parents nearly a year ago –and how he really, truly didn't know how he was going to be able to face them now that it had been revealed that their vigilante group had been in the right this entire time.

The Ministry had been wrong. They had lied, swept this under the rug to try and save face, had twisted everyone's minds until the ones who told the truth were the ones persecuted for the Ministry's faults –the Ministry had been _wrong about everything._ Percy shuddered and felt like he was about to throw up, because not only had the Ministry been wrong, but Percy had _stood with them instead of his family._

Percy stared at the reports on his desk. He had been just as big a hypocrite as he had accused his family of being, no, he had been worse, because at least his family had been acting in the right. Who was he kidding when he said he was with the law? The law didn't matter to those who broke it, the law hadn't done anything this entire past year to try and curb Voldemort's power, the law had been sitting with its hands over its ears, pretending that everything was just fine when in actuality the wizarding world could be plunged back into the darkness it had only just managed to haul itself out of.

How was he ever going to face his siblings after all the horrible things he had said to them? How would he ever apologize to his father, Merlin, how was he ever going to forgive himself for the way he had treated his Mum? She had only done her best even with how scared must she have been this past year –she remembered what Voldemort's power had been like before, she had Ron to worry about and Fred and George leaving Hogwarts, and her husband fighting and nearly dying for their stupid group nearly every day.

What had Percy done in the past year? Deny everything his parents had ever told him about the danger, set up a few subpar wards to try and ease his friend's well deserved fears, avoid talking to his friend about the one thing that might not be the worst thing to ever happen to him. Percy had been a hypocrite, he had been a terrible friend and a terrible son and he would never, _never_ be able to forgive himself for that.

" _Woah! Percy, Percy what do I do?!"_

 _Percy threw his book down onto the table and stood in record time, and shot into the hallway towards Zetton's panicked shouts without a second thought. When he saw why the slightly older man was out of sorts he froze on the spot, and then broke into giddy laughter while Zetton glared at him fiercely, Hermes perched imperiously on his shoulder and batting at his head with his wings._

" _This isn't funn-ow! Fucking shitbird!" Zetton howled, but made no move to try and remove the owl from his person, instead turning eyes onto Percy that were somehow both frustrated and pleading for help at the same time. Still guffawing, Percy moved forward and soothed Hermes while Zetton stood stock still, eventually getting the bird to release Zetton's shirt and settle on Percy's shoulder instead._

" _Sorry, he gets fussy after a long journey." Percy said in explanation, gingerly untying the letter pouch from Hermes' back. "Here, you go through them while I get him settled down. I'll make you some tea with my special tonic in apology."_

" _Least you could do... crazy bird..." Zetton grumbled half-heartedly, shooting a glare at Hermes, who was studiously ignoring him now that the letter pouch had been removed. Percy shook his head in amusement and headed back to his room, moving Hermes onto his perch and giving him some of his favourite owl treats before going to rummage in his potions drawer for the so called 'tonic'. It was actually a mild calming draught that invoked good memories in those who took it –Percy had made up a small batch back when he had thought he might not be able to get out of his self-pity on his own._

 _Coming back into the kitchen was interesting, Zetton taking up nearly half of the table with his letters and what looked to be a slim package sticking out from underneath the unopened pile. Percy went to their little stash of tea and mugs and began setting up the ingredients for his secret brew (and it was, because no matter how many times Zetton asked what he put in it, Percy had never told him), and after a few minutes Zetton made a happy sound and set down the first letter._

" _My mother wants to thank you for letting me borrow Hermes for this. She sent pictures and a few recipes, you should take a look at them." Percy nodded and saw Zetton place a small stack of paper over on the side of the table that was currently unoccupied._

 _Zetton set the letter to the side and moved on to the next one, mumbling something under his breath in Japanese that Percy couldn't make heads or tails of other than the fact that it sounded fond. Occasionally Percy would hear him make little remarks or sounds in response to something he was reading, but there wasn't much that he could understand and so he tried to concentrate on what was essentially a tiny potion he had to make in his and Zetton's individual cups._

 _Once he was finished and he turned again towards the table, Percy was caught off guard by the happy smile spread across Zetton's face, the expression and his absent glasses making him look years younger and less stressed. Percy stared for a few minutes before he realized what exactly he was doing, and tore his eyes away very fast as his ears turned redder than his hair._

" _Here." He said quietly, passing the steaming mug over to Zetton._

" _Thanks. Hah, no wonder I never heard from Bouya-san, he's been on a fishing boat for the past year working for his uncle!" Zetton declared, waving the letter around angrily but still grinning. "_ Kami, _it's so weird having all of these here. It's like nothing's changed at all. Yasu sent one too, and he's let me know of a bunch of other people's movements since I've been gone. Turns out Mako's fiancé's pregnant!"_

" _That's great. He was the carpenter you mentioned?" Percy asked, sipping at his drink –he very nearly didn't catch Zetton's reply as he picked up the little stack of pictures that Ms. Hanazawa had sent. There were a few that looked to be of a newly renovated house, a couple that must have been the woman herself at some kind of photo shoot –she was dressed in what Percy guessed to be her fighting attire, and looked so much like Zetton that Percy could barely tell what his roommate took from his absent father. Then there were several older pictures of a younger Zetton standing with a kid with bleach blond hair, both in the same uniform; Percy had a hard time reconciling the shy, bashful expression on the younger Zetton's face with the unrepentant, brash man he had lived with for nearly a year._

" _Yeah. Him, Pon, and Hiromi were all the best of friends and two years my senior, in the same grade as Bouya-san. Pon's still working in Toarushi as a mechanic, and Hiromi's gone to Tokyo with_ Bandou Hideto _of all fuckin' people and started a band. I really feel out of the loop sometimes." Zetton laughed and sipped at his drink then –but he wasn't as used to its effects so he paused for much longer than Percy did while he recalled whatever it was._

" _Ah, I just remembered something from a long time ago again... what_ do _you put in this? At least tell me if it's alcohol." Zetton said, peering at the dark brown liquid critically._

" _It's not that, I'll let you know that much."_

"-cy, Percy!"

Percy jolted back into awareness as if he had been slapped in the face, whirling around to stare at Esther Blemming faster than she could blink and drawing his wand in his surprise. She froze in fright for a moment, but Percy was already calming his pounding heart back into submission, and dropped his wand just as fast as he had drawn it so she didn't think he was going to curse her. Percy raised his hands to show that he wasn't going to –and realized just what was happening to them all now that the threat of Voldemort was real.

"S-Sorry, Esther. I haven't had much sleep." He said, taking a step back. She still looked perturbed, but gave him a strained smile and a nod.

"I thi-ink everyone's on edge. Scrimgeour just sent everyone but the higher officials home for two days, in our department. They're starting to sweep for leaks by doing it in sections apparently or something like that. I just thought you should know." Percy let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and relaxed a little bit more.

"Thank you. I'm sorry again, for startling you." Esther smiled again, but left the office quickly. Percy sat back down in his chair, and with his mind blank again he started to gather up the documents he felt he needed, along with more of his personal items than usual –he was starting to feel the creeping sense of insecurity that Penelope had described to him back in April, and he didn't like it.

 _Percy had been the one to answer the door, when the frantic knocking came just as he and Zetton were finishing up their respective morning routines. Zetton had been lethargically stirring the sugar into his coffee when the redhead went to see what all the fuss was about, and was still standing in the same place when Percy stormed back into the house in a whirlwind, trailed after by a frightened looking, mousy haired man in odd clothes. Zetton was curious, but was far too tired to really want to investigate about what was going on, and decided to simply continue on as normal until Percy told him what was up._

 _That only lasted for a few minutes, until the mousy man scurried past the door to the kitchen, arms laden with papers and Hermes clinging to his shoulder, and Percy following him noisily and face twisted into an expression that Zetton had never seen on him before. It almost seemed as if the redhead was going to leave without saying anything at all, but after a moment his eyes locked with Zetton's and his face lost all remaining colour._

" _I'm sorry –I've got to go, there's something happening –I just-" He stammered out rapidly, but then his companion yelled something unintelligible and he made a move to follow that he cut off, shaking. "I might not be back tonight, I'm sorry, I can't say more –I'll tell you when I can, or I'll send Hermes-"_

" _Percy, by_ Merlin _will you hurry!?" Came another distressed shout, and Percy sucked in a panicked breath before leaving without another word, the door slamming shut behind him and Zetton only now recognizing the expression as one that he had seen Bouya wear once before –a very specific mixture of terror, worry, and desperation._

Percy closed the door softly and lowered his briefcase to the floor of the front foyer, more exhausted than he had felt back at the office and weary to the point that his eyes burned with restrained tears. He leaned forward and let his forehead touch the cool wood of the door, trying to ease his aching head to little avail. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to think.

"Perce?"

Percy didn't want to have this talk right now. He didn't want to have to decide how much to tell Zetton about himself, he didn't want to have to work out whatever their deal was between each other, he didn't want to have to do this right now, he couldn't _do_ this right now! He pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes and tried to breathe deeply, but it stuttered in his chest and made him feel worse –he spasmed out of the blue and lurched around, pushing past a frozen Zetton and into the kitchen so he could empty his stomach into the trash.

He numbly registered Zetton coming up on his left and moving along to the sink, and heaved again while his roommate ran the water and bustled around at the counter. It took him several minutes to be able to breathe normally again, and then more to feel as if his stomach had settled enough that he wouldn't puke again if he so much as twitched the wrong way. He felt a hand rest heavily between his shoulder blades and another press a cool, damp cloth into his hands; Percy let Zetton help him over to the table and sat down in his usual chair while Zetton dragged his own over so that he could sit beside him.

"My parents were right." Percy said, frazzled mind quickly fabricating a story to be able to impart some of what was going on. "They were right all along, everything they ever told me about my superiors was right. Everything I ever denied about it was true. I pushed them away and broke our relationship so badly and they were telling the truth the entire time."

"The people I work for have been denying their own corruption and suppressing the truth about everything that my parents and their group have been trying to expose. They only sent me home so they could start a sweep of the place; the right people are apparently calling the shots now, they need to see who they can get rid of and who's still worth keeping around. My immediate superior is probably going to be replaced and I don't know how that's going to affect me. I might get fired." He laughed humourlessly, a vile taste lingering on his tongue. "Ugh, I haven't slept since I left with Carter."

"You were that busy?" Zetton asked –Percy knew it was only because he was still under the impression that the Ministry was actually a large corporation that dealt with international shipping and handling.

"It's been going on for years." Percy tried to explain, but his eyes were fast becoming heavy and he could feel it getting harder to push the words out. "Fudge was too busy with trying to... calm everyone down and avoid a scandal, so I had to reschedule all his meetings... had to go to some myself, not to mention checking up on my family... some of them got h-urt bringing everything into the open."

"You should get some sleep –you're obviously exhausted." Zetton said, looking lost, standing up and pulling a compliant Percy along with him. "Look, we can talk more in the morning. Work through whatever you need to. But sleep, first."

"Aw, alright..." Percy answered easily. His mind was blurring at the edges, and the only thing he could seem to focus on was Zetton himself, leading him down the hall and opening the door to his room for him. "Thank you, really... we'll talk later... about this, us."

Zetton looked surprised, but Percy wasn't ready quite yet to elaborate, so he closed the door quietly and made his way over to his bed. His head hit the pillow, and all he had time to do was switch the lights off with his wand before he slipped into a deep, all consuming sleep.

Vvv

Zetton was freaking out.

Zetton was sitting at the kitchen table a few hours after Percy had fallen asleep, his tea left untouched and fast losing heat, his head in his hands and very calmly, quietly, freaking out.

He wished he had the wherewithal to call his mother right now –she would know what he should do. He wished Bouya wasn't on a goddamn fishing boat half a world away so the man could knock some sense into him. Zetton felt like he was in middle school all over again, feeling embarrassed about his new nickname and floundering because Bouya had left to go to Suzuran without so much as a backwards glance.

Hah, and to think people had called him one of the Four Kings only a few short years ago. To think Hana –the first and so far _only_ leader Suzuran had ever known –had looked to him for guidance and valued his opinion so highly. Zetton laughed a tad shrilly; here he was, nearly twenty one years old, the man who had faced King Joe, Kuzugami Tatsuo, Hanaki- _fucking_ -Guriko and so many others, who had calmed impending wars and taken down entire factions for his comrades, and here he was freaking the fuck out over the chance that Percy had meant exactly what he had said and wanted to hash out this crush-flirting-notflirting-awkward-goddamn-shit-business that was still going on after half a year.

Maybe Zetton was a bit more invested in this crush than he had previously espoused.

He eyed the phone seriously through the gaps in his fingers, and really, really wanted to call someone. Not his mother, because this wasn't _that_ serious and he knew that he should save that call for later. Not Bouya, for obvious reasons not the least having to do with the fact that his _senpai_ was probably the least experienced with what he was currently going through. Actually, scratch all of his upperclassmen off of the prospective advice pool –he loved them dearly but even he would admit that half of them were idiots and the other half were just plain a bad influence.

That left those younger than him, or his contemporaries; Zetton would rather show up at his first day on the job in nothing but his underwear than confide in either Joe or Nakajima, and Takeda didn't need any more reasons to think he was an idiot than he already did. Hana was out. Zetton would rather show up to his first day at his dream job in nothing but his _glasses_ than call Guriko for anything other than to make fun of him for repeating his senior year. Kome had a baby on the way. Gunji was worrying about succession.

Zetton dialled a number without pause, not even thinking about the time difference between London and Tokyo but subconsciously knowing that he would probably be awake nonetheless. True to form, it only took a couple of rings for him to pick up, and the distinctive sounds of Hiromi- _senpai_ 's first single and Masa's easygoing drawl made Zetton relax somewhat.

" _Katou_." Hideyoshi answered briskly.

"' _Sup, Hide? Got time to talk to an old buddy_?" Zetton huffed out a laugh at his friend's startled sound, and Masa's voice in the background asking what was wrong.

" _Zetton! 'Course I got time, who the hell do you think you're talking to?_ " Hideyoshi demanded, and Zetton suspected than he had turned off the radio because the background noise suddenly muted. " _Me 'n Masa just got back, we're in the office now. What's up? Wait, I'll put you on speaker..._ "

" _Not much since the letter I'm afraid. My pronunciation's getting better though,_ how do you find it _, Masa_?"

" _You sound like you were born there, man_." Masa replied cheerfully from farther away.

" _To think you couldn't even pronounce_ pencil _when we were first years_." Hideyoshi commented. " _But seriously, you haven't called since New Year's. What's going on_?"

Zetton wondered if he should really mention it. Sure, Hideyoshi was one of his best friends despite their being the heads of different factions in their last year at Suzuran, and Hide would probably take a knife for him without batting an eye. But this wasn't a knife, and Hide wasn't the same as he'd been two years ago.

 _Kami,_ Zetton sounded pathetic even in his own head. Better off just doing what had served him well over the years and jumping into this head first instead of this hesitant shit that had caused him so many problems time and time again.

" _Eh... well, if you'd believe it, I'm having a bit of trouble in the relationship department. Was hoping I could get some advice on it_." There was silence on the other end for all of ten seconds, and then-

" _Hah?! When did this happen?"_ Hideyoshi sounded incredulous, like the possibility hadn't even entered his head. " _Wait, no, how_ long _has this been happening? I know how you go through these, and this must be trouble if you're calling_ me _about it_."

" _It's not trou... well, it's not bad_?" Zetton tried to say, only to realize halfway that this whole situation was incredibly troublesome, actually. " _I... oh, fuck this. I've had a crush on my roommate since Christmas, okay? Like hell I'm going to call my mother or Bouya about shit like this._ " He could hear Masa sputtering in the background. " _Now he's come back from having his shit turned on its head and said, 'we'll talk later about this, us'? I feel like I'm back in goddamn middle school here!_ "

Masa's coughing had turned into howling laughter, and Hideyoshi seemed to have dropped the phone in shock judging by the faint cursing and scraping sounds coming from the receiver. " _Couldn't have given me a warning before dropping this on me, could you?_ " Hideyoshi muttered grouchily, Masa still snickering away. " _Well, you finally succeeded in your secret goal of besting Harumichi in absolute bullshit, so give yourself a pat on the back and tell him how you really feel._ "

"... _no_ _shit_?" Zetton asked, and this time it was Hideyoshi who snorted.

" _No fucking shit! Ya should've done it ages ago from the sounds of it –the only thing you're doing right now is giving me ammo for making you do shit when you get back. Masa can back me up; 'guys, the great Zetton-sama called me acting like a high school girl with her first crush!' I'll never let you live this down!_ " Zetton's face turned beet red as he flipped Hideyoshi off instinctively, and he cursed the other out before slamming the phone down onto the receiver with a vengeance.

"...Zetton? Is everything alright?" Percy asked from the doorway, having arrived on the scene at some point without Zetton having noticed. Hideyoshi's taunting still ringing in his ears, Zetton whirled around and glared fiercely at his roommate, scowling deeply and face still a deep, reddish purple.

"I like you, alright?! Ever since the New Year I've just really, really liked being around you and shit, and I should've said so sooner but I was nervous 'cause this feels really different from how I like women!" Percy stared, wide eyed and his face slowly turning a matching red, and Zetton let out a hiss of breath in an attempt to calm down. "I –I'm sorry if this isn't the time to say it, but I do. Hell, I've been feeling like a blushing virgin just entertaining the thought of asking you out lately –I haven't felt like that in years and it's freaking me out!"

"O-Okay... Okay." Percy was steeling himself, trying to think about this rationally; this wasn't how he wanted this conversation to go. "I can't say exactly, but I... think I'm feeling rather similarly. How about we just sit down, and you can tell me what you mean by 'different to how you like women'?"

"...okay." Zetton agreed lamely.

The pair of them sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table, both still red in the face and feeling profoundly awkward now that the room was silent except for the ticking of the wall clock.

"W-When I like women, it's all 'waow!' and 'look at _that_!', yeah?" Zetton started, internally screaming at having to explain it. "And it's really good, for a while, but then we get bored and it just fizzles out, and in the end I get slapped and called a lout or accused of leading her on. I couldn't do the whole roses and emotional deal. But, uh, I sort of see you the exact opposite?" He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I mean, you're really interesting and I kinda want to know more about you all the time? But there's no... I mean, I don't... _want-to-have-sex-with-you_ which is really weird for me and I don't know what to think about it!"

Percy coughed in surprise, something happy bubbling in the back of his mind. "Well. Uh, see, I've only ever been with Penelope, and near the end... it was a complete disaster." He confessed, old guilt burning through him briefly. "She wanted to get married, have kids. I really did love her, but I didn't want to –do anything with her. I liked the intimacy of the relationship, but I was uninterested, uncomfortable even with going beyond, ah –kissing. I've never really considered dating after that... but I do like you, really." Percy offered Zetton a small smile. "Er, so, it seems we were both nervous about nothing, huh?"

"Maybe not nothing, but certainly not much." Zetton replied, slumping forward as if exhausted. "Gah, so I was making a mountain out of a molehill... not wanting sex isn't that strange, is it?"

Percy shrugged. "Some people might think it's odd. My dorm mates always went on about it like it was the best thing in the world, but I've never seen the appeal. I've always just wanted someone I could come home to and know that they wanted me there."

"...I think it's strange for _me,_ then." Zetton settled on. "The way I've been feeling is weird –the way I've been _acting_ is weird. I've never wanted to hold hands with someone or take care of them before now. It's definitely weird."

"Is it a bad weird?"

"No." Zetton gave Percy a long, searching look. The redhead had obviously only woken up a few minutes before he had come into the kitchen, with his mussed up hair and old fashioned dressing robe slung over his well worn pyjamas. He didn't seem so shook up now with colour in his cheeks, rested and calmed down, and suitably distracted from his ails by the conversation –Zetton was glad for it, Percy had really worried him during his two day absence and seeing him vomit so soon after returning hadn't soothed his concerns at all. "Do you, maybe want to try going out with me?"

Percy blushed again, and smiled a little bashfully before nodding. "We can work out what's normal for us as we go. For now, weird sounds really, really good to me."

Vvv

...

 _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_

 _GOD THIS CHAPTER WAS SO EMBARRASSING TO WRITE. I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THIS. BY FROEZE I'M BLUSHING SO HARD RIGHT NOW._


	5. Chapter 5

**The Kids These Days Are Alright**

By: Yidkirkin of the Warhammer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

SPOILERS

The good thing about asking your exhausted and emotionally drained roommate if he wanted to go on a date with you was that unlike other couples, you were already living together and had some manner of familiarity to fall back on in the meantime. The bad thing about asking said exhausted and emotionally drained roommate out on a date was that exactly like other couples, there was still that 'what do we do now' feeling afterwards and _now_ there was nowhere to go to calm down.

But luckily for Zetton's mental fortitude, Percy's stomach decided that right after agreeing to Zetton's proposal was the perfect time to twist itself into a pretzel, and the awkwardness of airing out their respective issues was lost in the ensuing visit to the trashcan. This time Percy's wooziness didn't leave him upon waiting it out, and eventually he conceded again to being helped back down the hallway and into bed, where he was out like a light in record time.

Alone once more, Zetton briefly considered calling Hideyoshi back, but after a moment of thought he realized that this would only do three things; rack up his international calling bill even further, prove that Hideyoshi was right, and give him more of a reason to be a smug shitbird about it when they next saw each other. Then he thought about writing a letter to Bouya –but that was a fleeting and frankly insane idea that would likely get him a smack from the man if he actually did it, regardless of their current separation. Lots of different ideas for what to do flitted through Zetton's mind in response to this brand new and exciting development. But none of them seemed like the _right_ thing at this point; so instead he decided to get some of his final grading done and wait for Percy to get up so Zetton could maybe cook for him or something equally as domestic.

 _Hah, who would've thought that 'the one who defeated Ultraman' would want something as commonplace as domesticity?_ Zetton mused as he made himself up a cup of tea and set up his marking station the way he liked it. _Who would have ever thought I might actually get to have it?_

This hadn't been in his plan when he arrived in the United Kingdom a year and a half ago, but he couldn't say that he wasn't happy with how it had turned out so far. A couple good classes of kids, a roommate he got along with, the rent paid through the next three months and healthy in mind and body? Zetton was incredibly satisfied with what he had –that this thing he and Percy had been caught up in seemed to have evolved into a tentative plan to _date_ –well, that was just another reason to be happy.

Zetton looked up from his marking a few minutes later and eyed the little corner of the counter that Percy had grown fond of as soon as Zetton had taught him how to use the coffee pot and the electric kettle. It had been gathering dust for the last few days since Percy's rather abrupt departure with his coworker(?) and studying it now Zetton suddenly thought of exactly where he should go.

Vvv

Percy awoke to a dark and silent apartment, Hermes standing guard on his perch and his bedside clock informing him that it was well past suppertime but not so late that Zetton would have gone to bed yet. He pushed himself into a sitting position slowly in case his stomach decided to rebel on him again, but a few minutes with no adverse consequences convinced him that he could risk moving for the time being. He swung his legs to the floor and slipped his feet into his nearly thread bare slippers, shivering before he grabbed his dressing robe. Percy flicked his lamp on and tidied his desk up a bit to waste some time, and then he ventured out to try and find out what was going on.

Percy slipped down the hallway without turning the light on and checked that his... boyfriend?...hadn't passed out marking papers at the living room table like he sometimes did. But the room was cold and empty, and before he even made it to the kitchen Percy noticed that Zetton's runners were missing from the entranceway.

The kitchen was substantially warmer and lit with a soft yellow light from the lamp Zetton kept on the end of the farthest counter. Percy fell back into routine and made his way to the tea corner, glad upon seeing it that he had left the little vial of calming draught next to the espresso jar, but he paused before reaching for it when he noticed the slip of paper taped to the kettle.

 _Gone out for a few things – be back around nine.  
Don't make dinner, I've got it!  
Z_ _トン_

Humming contentedly, Percy set the note aside and continued on with making up his tea (a pot instead of just a cup after glancing at the clock) mind blissfully calm now that some of his more immediate worries had been taken care of. There were still bigger issues –Voldemort, his family, his job, properly warding his and Penelope's and Tanner's homes –but there was nothing that could be done about them right this second, so he could put them aside. He didn't even feel particularly nervous about the whole 'roommate asked me out' development; it wasn't as if Zetton was a stranger anymore.

He had placed the tea on the kitchen table and gone to fetch mugs when he heard the sound of keys jiggling in the lock, and a few minutes later Zetton had shut the door again and come into the kitchen with a plastic bag dangling in his grip. When he saw that Percy was already up he brightened considerably; Percy turned red at the tips of his ears and smiled back a bit bashfully.

"I brought take out –Indian was the only thing I could think of." Zetton explained, setting the bag down next to the sink. "A movie too, if you're up for it."

"I think I am." Percy said, though he only had the base knowledge of what a 'movie' was. "Don't movies need a... television?"

"I've got a mini-player, I just have to dig it out." Zetton said, rummaging briefly in the cupboard above the fridge. "I'll go grab it if you set this stuff up in here? Bring a plate for yourself into the living room?"

"Sure."

A few minutes passed while Percy set out the containers on the counter, made himself up a plate and moved the tea into the other room, flicking on the overhead light and adjusting the thermostat while he was at it. He wasn't sure how big a 'mini player' was, so he set the teapot in the middle of the table, put his plate on the corner, and left a few feet bare for whatever Zetton was going to set up. The comforter the other man had somehow managed to rig to the bottom of the table was slightly ruffled, so Percy smoothed it out and turned on the alarm clock that was hiding next to the table leg (left in case either of them fell asleep late). He could hear Zetton cursing from down the hall, so he also pre-emptively poured the man a mug of tea and sipped at his own while he waited.

It wasn't long before Zetton reappeared; face red and looking as if he had pressed his cheek against a grate for longer than was comfortable, two pillows and a thick blanket under one arm and a boxy silver rectangle clutched in his other hand. He had changed out of his day clothes and into an old shirt and pants, and wasted no time in arranging the entire table to his liking before ducking out again to grab his own food. Percy settled against the wall as well as he could, taking one of the pillows and using it to make himself more comfortable. Zetton was back within a few minutes, and bustled around getting the entire set up working before flopping down beside Percy on the floor, draping the extra blanket over their knees and pressing a button on the device so that they could get their evening underway.

And as the movie wore on and Percy ended up leaning snugly against Zetton's side, tea gone lukewarm and leg numb but cozy enough that he couldn't bring himself to move –well, he hadn't felt so content in a long time.

Vvv

Percy had the following day off as well –would likely have a lot of days to himself if his suspicions were on the mark –so he got up early in the morning, left a note for Zetton on the fridge, and took his best Charms books out of storage and straight to Penelope's apartment block. His friend didn't look too happy to have been woken up at such a small hour, but her disgruntled expression changed to a curious one as she processed the tomes in his arms and the determined gleam in his eyes.

She had let him be, given him free reign of her wards before slouching back to bed, and Percy had set to the work with a passion he rarely felt for his _actual_ job anymore. By the time Penelope emerged again some three hours later, every subpar ward and underlying original had been stripped off, and Percy had nearly given himself magical exhaustion with how he poured his being into the overlaying and setting of the newer, better protections.

"I swear Percy, you're going to overdo it someday and I'm not going to be around to pull you back out of your arse." Penelope sighed, shoving a plate laden with fruit, eggs and ham towards him and then all but ordering him to finish the entire thing. "What was wrong with the ones you put up before?"

"I... learned new ones. I'll give you a spreadsheet once I can think straight." Percy said lamely, feeling vaguely ashamed of his past self and clumsily changing the subject to try and give himself more time to regain his equilibrium. "I spoke to Zetton yesterday."

The distraction worked like a charm –no pun intended. "About what you _promised_ to?!" Penelope immediately demanded, grinning widely at the look he gave her. "Well, how did it go? Obviously he didn't kick you out...?"

"When I got back from work I threw up before I could even explain why I had been gone for so long." Percy snorted at the way Penelope wrinkled her nose. "I went to bed for a few hours, and when I woke up he was shouting into his phone; I asked what was wrong and he yelled a confession that he's liked me since New Year's." The memory was fresh and made Percy smile. "It was really embarrassing, but he ended up being really sweet."

" _Merlin,_ you're such a _sap._ " Penelope lamented, but she was also still smiling giddily. "So, did you two work _everything_ out? What about..."

"He said he _liked_ me, but wasn't attracted to me like that." Percy swiftly put her concerns to rest; Penelope found the reason for their breakup an awkward topic at the best of times, but ever since they had graduated and got on with their own lives she had begun to worry about how other people treated him for that kind of thing. "He asked me out, and I said yes. We even watched a movie together... it was really nice. I'm happy."

"I'm glad."

"Are you and Tanner doing anything today? I'll need at least an hour to redo the wards on his place once I get my strength back." Penelope stilled for a moment, and then her entire face brightened as if someone had cast the cheering charm on her without Percy noticing. "Penelope?"

"Ah! Sorry, just got distracted." She said quickly, and though Percy knew the blush on her cheeks meant something else, he didn't pry. "We're actually going to lunch and then up to Northampton for the afternoon, so you'll have as long as you need –as long as you finish before nine. Do you think that's doable?"

"Of course it is, I'm doing it aren't I?" Penelope rolled her eyes and Percy laughed. "I might as well add some connecting protections between the three places if you've given me that much time. We'll be safer than anyone around, Penelope."

"I'm sure we will. Now, I won't be leaving until later, so get yourself back home to relax and come back around three, we'll be long gone by then."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Percy left quickly after that, his books under his arm and some of the weight from the past few days lifting off his shoulders –hopefully to disappear by the time he had all of their homes warded to his satisfaction. Returning to the empty apartment, he double checked that Zetton had long gone into work before he even thought about starting to re-ward the place, and spent the next hour and a half stripping away the original spellwork from his room and then laying the brand new wards over their entire home. He was slightly limited on which he could activate right away, with Zetton being unaware of magic now and likely for a while to come, but he did the best with his options.

When he had recovered enough from the casting to move properly, he apparated straight back to Penelope's apartment and then into Tanner's upon finding his friend's departure note on her kitchen table. Another hour was spent on the real estate agent's new wards and then linking the three locations together –they wanted to be able to access any place they needed to if the situation came to that. He felt wrung dry by the time that was over and done with –but more satisfied than ever as well, secure in the knowledge that if he was fired from his Ministry position then he might be able to make a decent living as a freelance warder.

Percy was greeted by the smell of spiced chicken and eggplant when he got home at around five in the afternoon, and entering the kitchen revealed an intensely concentrating Zetton set up at the stove with a cookbook and one of the recipes his mother had sent from Japan. The older man hadn't noticed him yet, so Percy took a minute to watch his... boyf... _partner_ (partner sounded better in his mind) bustle around, using the various spices he had left open on the counter and checking his recipes every so often to make sure he was following it properly.

"I'm back." Percy decided to say after a little while, and Zetton might have already noticed him standing there because he didn't startle at all, just turned and welcomed him home before going back to his cooking. Percy toed his shoes off and went to stow his Charms books back in his room, and took a quick shower for good measure to try to refresh himself after his tiring day.

"I missed you this morning," Zetton said when he returned to the kitchen. "Something to do with your job?"

"I had to help a coworker with some fallbacks in case things go pear shaped, but it's nothing to really worry about. What are you cooking?"

"A recipe my mother sent; an East Indian version of my grandfather's Chinese style eggplant stew. It's got more spices and you eat it with fried naan. We used to have it all the time back home." Percy smiled as Zetton went on to detail just what he was putting in the dish, and hoped that things could go this well for just a bit longer.

Vvv

Percy was called back into work unexpectedly the next day, but luckily for his health he was only there for a few hours, long enough to be subjected to an intense questioning by the Aurors and then briefed on his new job responsibilities. He met Penelope not ten minutes after he was released, and they sat down in the nearly deserted atrium together for a long time; Percy decided to come clean with the fact that he originally hadn't taken her warding request seriously. Like he expected, she was extremely angry –and worse, hurt –that he had deceived her, but had accepted his apology with the stipulation that he not come near her for awhile unless he _wanted_ to get his nose broken.

Percy and Zetton were both tired that night, too tired to bother with cooking their own dinner, so Zetton suggested that they go out to eat instead; have a 'proper date' as it were. They had ended up in a nearby restaurant that specialized in food from the American south, and though they had gone with the mindset that it was a date, neither had many expectations for how those were supposed to play out. It turned out alright though; it had felt like a big deal at first, but as the meal went on they just slipped back into how they normally acted around each other. By the time they left to go back home, it had almost slipped Percy's mind that anything was different –that is, until Zetton shot him a nervous grin and swatted at his fingers, grasping them tightly when Percy didn't move away.

Vvv

Percy was alone in his room a few days later, and his guilty conscience concerning his treatment of his family returned in full force without warning. With nothing to distract him this time, he let it eat at him for a little while –which had probably been the reason why his mind had come up with the brilliant idea of owling Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Percy would probably never forgive himself; that he already knew quite well. It was in his nature to dwell on his past mistakes and rarely act to absolve himself from them –it was usually only due to outside interference that he ever took what he _learnt_ from the past and applied it. But this time he had other people to worry about. He had so many people to try and help even a little bit; his parents and siblings that he had failed, the coworkers he kept at arm's length, Penelope only just today with a reason to doubt him, and Zetton who knew so much about him personally but not about the biggest part of Percy's life.

And Shacklebolt was one of the only people that Percy was sure was in this Order with his parents, and of those few was the only one who Percy felt comfortable contacting. He still didn't want to directly involve himself –being an anonymous voice from inside the Ministry would suffice –but he did want to help. He wanted to use his position to make up for his mistakes, even if it would only offer peace to him personally.

Hermes was only too happy to be sent out in the middle of the night for once, disappearing with Percy's hastily composed missive before the redhead could lose his nerve. Percy fell into a fitful sleep after that –hoping that he had made the right decision, and that Penelope's fears about Voldemort would never come to fruition.

Vvv


End file.
